A Woman Scorned
by AndHerNameWasAnastasia
Summary: Starfire ditched the Titans after they treat her particularly badly. Batman takes her in, and swears he will never tell her secret. Imagine her surprise when Robin and the Titans (plus the girl who ruined it all) show up on the Wayne Mansion doorstep. Will they ever figure out that their smiling, giggling Starfire is the spitfire Kori Anders? T for Titans
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello my lovelies. This is fanfiction for one of my absolute favorite shows as a kid (really only for the who Starfire/Robin relationship shhh don't tell.) So read away! Yeah, it's really long. Sorry, I'm not great at this, but enjoy or not enjoy or flame me because flames roast my marshmallows and who doesn't like s'mores? NOT ME! Loves, Ana**

Kori Anders woke on Sunday morning cheerier than usual. Usually she woke up rude and sarcastic, which she is known to be as a rule. Instead, she reveled in the peek of sunshine filtering through her curtains and rubbed the sleep from her eyes with a smile on her pretty face.

She rose from her cushy queen bed, which was built into her powder blue walls. She loved her cubby, the way she felt protected, nestled in the wall. She even had a screen she could slide across the opening, patterned with blue and white flowers, and she loved it.

Kori stretched and entered her bathroom, where she brushed out her long black hair. She opened a drawer and removed a metal tin, which she knew contained her blue eye contacts that she wore each day to cover her alien green eyes. All part of the act.

Next she donned her outfit of choice for the day—a pair of cuffed jean capris, her cream tee shirt with the blue bejewelled peter pan collar, and her blue boat shoes. She pulled her black locks into a high ponytail, and slipped in her favorite earring in the world.

It was a cuff earring that fit into the hole in her cartilage, with a chain that traveled from the cuff to a stud that she fit in her second ear lobe piercing. She had gotten it from Bruce for her seventeenth birthday, and she wore it often. She did her makeup, which was light. A shimmering peach on her lids, thick black liner as usual, and a hint of cherry lip gloss.

When Kori looked in the mirror after finishing her primping, she saw a gorgeous girl, with a punk rock style and a small diamond in her nose. No one would ever guess her who she was before.

Kori decended the stairs of Wayne Manor and searched for her family. She finally found them on the veranda, eating breakfast over a view of the maze of hedges and the skyline of Gotham City looming above.

Kori leaned on the open doorway and knocked softly. Her three family members smiled at her. Bruce spoke.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Won't you eat with us?" Bruce gestured to the opposite head of the table, across from him, where Alfred soon laid a steaming plate of Eggs Benedict.

Kori sat and looked around the table. To her left sat Selena, Bruce's girlfriend who lived at Wayne Manor and was loved by everyone. Selena had been there even longer than Kori. Selena was absolutely beautiful, and was like a big sister to Kori. She loved parties and social events and adored dressing up.

To her right sat Tim, Kori's adopted little brother. He had been adopted by Bruce when he was three, and he was a handsome fourteen year old now. Sweet and handsome, all the girls loved him and the tabloids never had a bad thing to say. Kori was where they tried to find their news, though Kori rarely did what the tabloids said she did. The tabloids said she was a wild party animal, which wasn't true. Kori didn't have time for the childish raves her model peers held, hard as they tried to get her to attend. Imagine, having Kori Anders, the fashion queen of Gotham, at your party. They also said she was a rebel. That was true. She rarely did what people told her. But most of the time, she was focusing on her modeling career and her little side job that the entire family took part in. The only people she had time for were her family and her best friend Dani. Dani Zurich was also a fashion icon of Gotham, and fit more to the wild party animal typecast, always urging Kori, the mysterious one, to get out more. But her agent said being mysterious will get her more jobs, so she didn't really do much.

Then there was Bruce. Bruce Wayne was the king of Gotham, if anyone was. He owned most of it, and knew it too. He was known to be a playboy and an arrogant jerk, but that wasn't it at all. They all had their covers. This was Bruce's. Kori was the arrogant punk supermodel, Tim was the sweetheart of Gotham, Selena was the shallow model, and Bruce was the jerk playboy who acted like he owned Gotham. Which he did, in more ways than one. In truth, Bruce Wayne was Batman, the Dark Knight who kept Gotham safe, with the help of a few others. Selena was Catwoman, the mysterious shadowy villain, who had actually changed sides and fought alongside with Batman now. Tim was Robin, Batman's willing side-kick. And Kori was Catgirl, Selena's beautiful, mysterious, shadowy, side-kick.

The gang would split up the work. If it was a high crime night, they would all take different solo jobs. If it was a medium crime night, they would team up in pairs of two. If it was a low crime night, only one of them would have to take out the criminals around the city. Their system worked well.

When Kori was done with breakfast, she looked up to see all three of her family members staring at her. Bruce cleared his throat, and immediately Kori's mood darkened. He was yelling at her.

"What?" Kori snapped. Tim and Selena looked at Bruce, who cleared his throat again and folded his hands on the table, preparing to speak.

"Alright, Kori. Now, when a family splits up, one never forgets the other part of the family, correct?" Kori nodded her head, warily. "Yes, so you don't stop loving the part of the family you don't see anymore, and—"

Kori was getting irritated. "Bruce, could you just spit it out?" Bruce sighed, having given up on the heartfelt, well rehearsed speech he was planning on giving.

"My adopted son, Richard Grayson, is going to be visiting Wayne Manor this week with his friends and I expect you to be on your best behavior."

Kori's jaw locked with anger. "But isn't Richard Grayson..." She trailed off. There was no need to finish the sentence. Everyone knew exactly who she was talking about.

Bruce nodded, and Kori took that as her cue. Kori abruptly sprung from her chair, sending the chair scraping forcefully on the porch's gray stone, and stormed from the table. She ran all the way up to her large white and powder blue room, slamming the door behind her.

Kori sat cross legged on her powder blue couch, holding a picture in her hands. It showed five teenagers. Two girls, one with blue hair and one with fiery red, and three boys. One boy was green and short, and one was a giant African American half-robot. And the third had raven hair, gelled up, and a mask that hid his eyes. Kori felt her throat close.

The memories came rushing back.

"_Teen titans, go!" As Robin delivered the usual line, the five teens sprung into action to take down Plasmus, only soon they realized that there was nothing to take down. Instead, a girl stood covered in maroon goo, smiling and waving._

"_Hi, my name's Kiki!"_

_Kiki told her story, of how she had been struck by lightning as a child and had gained the ability to electrify whatever she touches. She had taken down Plasmus singlehandedly. _

_Kiki was gorgeous, with platinum, thin blond hair down to her shoulders and doe brown eyes. Her lips were a faint pink, and she wore little makeup._

_They had invited her to live with them. _

_She got along with everyone, even grouchy Raven. She meditated, she loved video games, she was a killer combat partner, and she was a vegetarian. She really was a part of the team, more than Starfire. And when Kiki paid her a visit after dinner, it just proved her right._

"_Hey troqqie." She giggled her derisive little laugh. "Now, don't you belong somewhere else, like that filthy planet you came from?"_

_Starfire went to bed with tears in her eyes._

Kori rose from the flashback with tears prickling her eyes that were not memories at all. She had thought they were her friends. She was sorely mistaken. She felt her mind go back in time once again.

_They were all fighting cinder block when it happened. Starfire had been doing well. But them she felt something electric course through her body and cause her to fall through the sky, knocking down Raven in the process. Raven's blast of energy was thrown of course by Starfire's fall, and was instead sent at Beast Boy, who was, at the time, a T-Rex. This caused Beast Boy to trip and fall on top of Robin, who was on his R-Cycle, mid-ride. Robin tumbled off the R-Cycle, which then spun free of him and drove right into Cyborg, who was knocked down. Cinderblock escaped while Kiki feigned unconsciousness on the ground. _

_In the dust from the mishap, the five others rose, quiet. And then all of a sudden, Robin started yelling his lungs out at Starfire, and the others looked on silently. Kiki sniffled as if she had been injured, even though Starfire knew for a fact that Kiki had caused her to fall mid-air and ruin the entire mission. _

_Starfire flew home as fast as she could, Robin still shrieking. The one thing she couldn't stand. The one thing she hated, was that as she heard him yelling at her, she had heard the word 'troq' more than once._

Kori was crying for real now. She picked up another picture, this one with Kiki in it, and everyone was smiling except for Starfire. Robin and Kiki were kissing in the photo.

_Starfire didn't leave her room the evening of the botched mission. That afternoon, Kiki had told her friends that Starfire had hit her with a Starbolt and knocked her unconscious. Starfire kept telling them it wasn't true, but no one except Raven would believe her. They all told her that the least she could do is be honest about accidentally blowing the whole operation, but no amount of words could convince them that she already was. Kiki was too good an actress. _

_At eleven thirty at night, when she was sure everyone was asleep, she headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. She ate her food silently and quickly, and headed back to her room. As she headed back, she heard voices. She ducked behind a door, the training room, and watched two figures pass._

_Starfire slunk behind the figures. It was Robin and Kiki. Starfire followed behind them all the way to the roof and felt her throat close. That was supposed to be her and Robin's place. Why was he taking Kiki, a girl he'd barely known for a week, there?_

_At the top, she listened to the conversation._

"_I can't believe that troq actually tried to kill me. I was so scared." Starfire waited for Robin to defend her, to say that she would never do that, but it never came. Instead, Robin gathered Kiki into his arms, comforting her._

"_Hey, hey, it's okay. I will make sure she doesn't hurt you again. Shh, it's okay."_

_And that's when she watched Kiki pull Robin into a passionate kiss. At first Robin seemed startled and tried to get her off his face, but then he melted into her. Starfire left and cried herself to sleep, more depressed than ever._

_As the weeks passed, Starfire's powers waned. Robin eventually banned her from missions, calling her a troq and saying she wasn't pulling her weight and had grown weak. Kiki and Robin became an official couple, even thoguh all they did was kiss and kiss and kiss _all the time.

_Starfire planned her escape late one night, but her efforts did not go unnoticed by a certain half demon._

"_Star? Can I come in?" _

"_Yes, friend Raven, you can come in."_

_Raven entered her pink room and sat next to Starfire on her bed._

"_Please don't go, Star."_

"_You believe I did not actually hit friend Kiki with my starbolt, yes?"_

_Raven was silent for a moment. "Of course. But why else would she fall to the gorund?"_

"_I do not know, Raven. I just know that I do not just fall for no reason. Why was I knocked out of the sky? What could've knocked both Kiki and I from our flying positions?"_

_Raven didn't say anything._

"_See? That's why I have to go. I am not trusted anymore. Do me a favor and not tell anyone I am gone for a week. I'm sure no one will notice."_

_Starfire picked up the bag she had so carefully packed. It held all the pictures of the team together, even when Starfire was unhappy. It had her old uniform, and Starfire wore a pair of normal clothes and sunglasses so she wouldn't be recognized on her way out of the city._

_Raven grabbed her arm the second before she left her room. _

"_Starfire, I won't stop you from going."_

"_That is good. Because you would not be successful anyhow."_

"_But I want to tell you how sorry I am. I am sorry we didn't trust you, sorry we mistreated you so badly. Sorry we ever trusted Kiki."_

_Starfire smiled. "Thank you, Raven. I will miss you, sister."_

_With that, Starfire left her room, and the tower, unnoticed by anyone. _

Kori thought back to when she had reached Gotham and had stumbled onto Batman in action and he had taken her in. She regained her powers eventually, but she rarely used them in fear of being recognized. In fear that somehow, the Teen Titans would find out that Kori Anders, Catgirl, and Starfire were all the same person. And now it seemed they were sure to find out.

Meanwhile, at Titans Tower, the gang was packing. Or well, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Robin were packing. Kiki was flipping through a fashion magazine. On the cover was a picture of Kori Anders, unsmiling and looking beautiful.

Raven and Beast Boy entered the room and their eyes fell on the magazine.

"Woah, who is _that? _Talk about a babe! Mmmm, cut me off a piece of that."

Beast Boy drooled over the picture of Kori, naturally not recognizing Starfire behind the new features and the heavy makeup.

Robin and Cyborg entered just as Raven responded in her normal monotone.

"She most likely has the IQ of a pile of rocks. And I wouldn't get too attached. What makes you think she would go for you?"

Kiki rolled her eyes and moved, so that the two teens wouldn't be peering over her shoulder.

"That's Kori Anders. She is the most famous supermodel of this century, next to Selena Kyle, of course. But she's rarely seen in public, and no one even knows where she lies. She doesn't even go to school. Her and her best friend, Dani Zurich, who is also a supermodel, take lessons from a private tutor."

The team dropped the topic and put on their disguises. Kiki needed none, and neither did Robin or Raven, save for changing into civilian clothes. Cyborg and Beast Boy donned the rings that changed their appearances. Cyborg became a fully human, gigantic, muscley, African American teen, and Beast Boy became a scrawny, tan, blonde boy with a sort of surfer air about him.

They all left the tower, ready to meet Robin's past.

Kori's pity party was interrupted by a knock on the door at noon.

"It's Tim. Please let me in."

Kori sighed. She loved her little brother, and couldn't say no to him. She opened her door and let Tim in.

"How are you?"

Tim and Kori sat on her blue couches, while Kori flicked on the television to a 90's sitcom.

"How do you think I am? I was under the impression that I would never have to see them again. Bruce _promised _I would never have to see them again."

Tim sighed. "You didn't think you could hide from them forever at Batman's house, could you?"

Kori grumbled and looked away.

"Well, anyway, Bruce is giving you permission to not be around when they arrive. Thanks to me. But he said you better be on time to dinner tomorrow night or he will personally murder you and make it look like an accident."

"As I would expect. Tell him... tell him I'm sleeping over at Dani's, 'kay? And when they come tomorrow, don't let _any _of them in my room, got it?" Tim nodded and gave her a hug to comfort her, then disappeared. Kori called her best friend. She answered on the very first ring.

"Hey, bitch!" Kori laughed. Caller ID always let Dani know it was her favorite bitch in the world calling.

"Dani? I need a distraction. Can I crash at yours tonight?"

"Duh! Oh, except I have this photo shoot in three hours. Tag along?"

Kori smiled. "You know, I think that's exactly what I need right now." She needed to immerse herself back in her business. Something to remind her why she is so much happier here than she was in Jump City.

"Awesome! I'll pick you up and we will go shopping before we head to the shoot. Bring your credit card! See you in twenty."

Kori hung up her phone, excited. She quickly packed up an overnight bag filled with all her makeup and her change of clothes for the next day.

Twenty minutes later, Kori and Dani sat in Dani's Ford Thunderbird convertible. Kori loved the car. It was old fashioned, and in a light sky blue.

The two sat singing their lungs out to the song on the radio, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," and Kori couldn't help but muse about how fitting a song it was for her relationship with a certain boy wonder.

Kori and Dani hit all the good stores, accumulating entire closet-fulls of clothes, most in dark colors and rock styles.

Dani Zurich had gorgeous, waist length, white blonde hair, with dyed blue ends about two inches thick. Her hair was currently tied up in a messy bun. She wore a black crop top, highly distressed super light wash jeans, with a pair of red pumps with a studded heel. The two of them together were fashion icons even off the camera.

While shopping, the girls also bought multiple chick flicks, popcorn, ice cream, and bucket loads of candy. Normally they wouldn't be such pigs, but Kori had told Dani that she was under a shit load of stress and that she seriously needed a distraction. That was true. She just didn't elaborate as to what that stress was caused by.

"Alright, so the shoot today is for Avarice, got it?" Dani sipped the caramel macchiato they had gotten on a coffee run. Kori nearly choked.

"Holy shit! You got a shoot with Avarice Magazine? That's awesome! That's like, the fashion bible for every model and designer out there!"

Dani squealed, something she didn't normally do. "I know! And guess what! I called ShiShi, and she called Avarice, and they said they would be ecstatic if they could do a shoot of the both of us! Like a model best friends thing! We are going to be on the cover of Acarice magazine!"

This time Kori squealed too, something even more rare than a Dani squeal.

"You know what we have to do, now, don't you?"

Dani smiled and nodded, and changed their course from the photoshoot to a tattoo parlor.

Every time one of them past a fashion modeling milestone, they got another body piercing. They started with matching nose rings and then first piercings in the lobe. They they just worked their way up their ears.

They both had seven. They held hands tight as they got their cartilage pierced at the exact same time. This would be their last piercings. You couldn't get any higher than Avarice.

They cried after, the both of them. They signed autographs, they sang at the top of their lungs in their car on their way to the photo shoot, and Kori remembered why she would never ever go back to the Titans.

The photo shoot started at three with hair and makeup. Normally hair and makeup is a long and dull process, but it was fun to laugh and chat with Dani while they were primped and preened. Not to mention the stylists kept cracking jokes and joining in the conversation.

Next they got dressed. Their first outfits were party dresses. Dani's dress was a backless black halter with a belly button-low v neck line and embellished pockets. Kori's was completely sequined all over, and had three quarter sleeves and a boat neck neckline. The skirt was full, and fell above her knees, with a fat black sash around the waist that made a huge bow in the back. She wore with the dress a pair of to die for multi-color heels in shades of blue and purple.

Next they changed into pantsuits. Kori's black pantsuit's blouse had a scandalously deep v neck on the front and high waisted pants and black heels. Dani's was exactly the same except hers was light beige. They wore fedoras and held fake shotguns, as if they were policemen.

Then they wore casual outfits. Dani wore a bright red skirt that fell to her knees in the front and touched the floor in the back, with a white button up blouse. On top of that she wore a long brown coat and a red scarf around her head.

Kori wore a white tee shirt with a faint yellow tinge to it, with a blue pleated skirt. She also wore a fat necklace with both yellow and blue beads and a black leather jacket. Both girls wore high heeled boots, Dani's ankle boots, and Kori's combat boots.

The shoot continued as such.

The next morning Kori arrived at Wayne Manor at noon and didn't run into anybody on her way to her room.

She and Dani had stayed up all night watching horror movies and eating candy, so Kori's eyes drooped unattractively.

Once in her room, she literally collapsed in her bed, sliding the screen shut, and sleeping until five in the evening. Then she had to get ready for dinner, where she would meet her old friends for the first time in years.

She started by picking a dress. She chose one of her favorites. It was a strabless dress with a sweetheart neckline. The top was pristine white, and the skirt, which fell to above her knee, was black lace. A thin white belt cinched at her stomach.

She then did her makeup. She chose a smoky eye, with heavy winged black eyeliner and dark shadow that brought her crystal blue eyes magnificently. A dark red lipstick added to the look.

She pinned back the front of her waist length black hair to her temples. She curled it so that it bounced in waves.

She painted her nails cherry red and slipped on a pair of black heels. She added a pair of fierce red gigantic drop earrings and a matching necklace. Her heels were classic black stilettos with red layered cloth on the top of the heel. She looked in the mirror. She looked hot, and was ecstatic with the final result. Robin would eat his heart out, not that he would know it was her.

She wondered what they were doing right now. It had been difficult to enter Wayne Manor, in fear that she would run into the Titans who arrived earlier that morning. But mysteriously, she had not seen a soul as she hurried to her room, laden with her shopping bags from the day before.

As dinner approached quickly, Kori picked up the phone and called Bruce.

"Bruce, where are the Titans? I came home and nobody was here..."

"I took them around town to see the sights. One of them seemed very excited when she saw a spread of you in a magazine. She doesn't know that you are my adopted daughter. She will probably be very surprised."

Kori grimaced. It's gotta be Kiki.

"Well Bruce, would you mind if I asked Dani to come to dinner, too? Just for emotional support? I haven't told her anything, I will just tell her that they are some old friends who I don't like."

Bruce grumbled. "Kori..."

"_Please Bruce?_"

"Alright fine, but she better be on her good behavior too or you will both be in trouble."

Kori exhaled, relieved. She would need the emotional support.

"Thanks Bruce, see you in an hour."

Then Kori texted Dani, who arrived a bit later in a gorgeous red halter dress with a white, yellow, and blue geometrically patterned skirt.

_You're coming to dinner, bitch. Look pretty or face the mighty wrath of Bruce Wayne._

Both Dani and Kori looked amazing, and with their grand entrance quickly approaching, they both got very excited.

The time had come. It was six thirty, and Bruce had called for Kori and Dani to join them in the foyer so they could all enter the dining room together.

Dani went first and Alfred helped her down the stairs, but Kori froze when it as her turn. She couldn't move. Dani called up the stairs.

"Bitch get down the stairs before I come up and kick your sorry ass down them."

Kori took a deep breath and made the first step.

Down the stairs she went, steady on her feet, a stony expression on her face. They wouldn't recognize her. If it weren't the new appearance, it would be the new attitude. Her English was better. She swore. She was rude. They would never recognize her.

Her chin in the air, she saw the first glimpse of the Titans.

Robin looked handsome in a black suit and tie with a red dress shirt. He wore no mask.

Cyborg's pinstripe blue suit and blue tie were classy.

Beast Boy wore a green dress shirt and tie with a brown leather jacket, and a pair of khaki's. He looked handsome with his blonde hair gelled up.

Raven looked absolutely stunning in a navy blue strapless dress with a full skirt and black heels. Her hair was as usual.

And lastly Kori's eyes fell on Kiki, wearing a skin tight, strapless, hot pink dress that looked like a band-aid and white heels. Her eyes stared at Kori and Dani adoringly, and Kori was disgusted. Kiki was hanging off of Robin like he was the second coming and Kori felt bile rising in her throat. She looked away from the scene, though Robin's eyes were boring into her own.

Bruce spoke to break the silence. "And this is my daughter, Korina Anders." Kori nodded to the group as Kiki erupted in squeals.

"Oh my gosh, I can _not _believe that you are Bruce's daughter! You are my favorite celebrity ever and I loved that spread you did in Hotbox Magazine! I personally wrote a letter to Avarice magazine to let you be on the cover, but they never answered..."

Dani interrupted. "Maybe it was the annoying attitude. That would drive me to drink spending time with you. Besides, Kori and I just did a cover shoot for Avarice without your help."

Dani crossed her arms. She clearly didn't like Kiki any more than Kori did. Kori smiled and dragged Dani by the arm into the dining room, holding in a laugh.

"C'mon, Bruce. Let's eat." Kori laughed with Dani as they sat.

Dinner went fairly smoothly, but only because Dani was there to pull Kori through. Every time Kiki made a disgusting kiss ass remark, Dani would have a clever snub in her pocket and Kori couldn't be more grateful.

As much as Kori wanted the dinner to be over so that she could go to bed, Selena's beeper went off and she shot Kori a furtive look. The night would be extended; there was trouble, and Catwoman and Catgirl would have to be on the case, unwilling though they may be.

Selena leaned over and whispered in Bruce's ear, whom then leaned over to Kori and whispered in her ear.

"You've got to get rid of Miss Zurich, Kori. I don't care how, just do it."

Then he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"What was that?"

"He said he wants you to clear out so that my 'friends' and I can catch up. Sorry, he's a bastard, I know."

Dani smirked. "Whatever. I'll go." Dani stood up and addressed the dinner party. "Now I hear that I have to kick my own ass out, so see you. Great meal, though, Alfred old buddy, old pal. You've truly outdone yourself."

Dani patted Alfred on the back as she strutted out the door, and Kori had trouble suppressing a laugh.

Once the door was sufficiently closed, Bruce turned to his dinner guests. "Alright, we have some pressing matters to attend to, so we will have to make up for this another night. I am deeply sorry."

Robin turned to Bruce with a sly smile. "C'mon Bruce, that trick won't work on me. I know you too well. Don't worry, we brought some things in case something like this occurred."

Ten minutes later, dressed in her Catgirl uniform, Kori was exiting her room when she ran into Raven. Great, the one person who had the power to figure out who she was if she looked hard enough, the empath, was the one Kori had to run into.

"So you're Catgirl…" Raven looked her up and down incredulously.

"Don't look too excited. Where are your little friends, Raven?" Kori put on her best bitch face. The less 'Starfire' she acted, the better.

Raven looked affronted. "Let's see how little they are when they end up doing your job. I should think it would be too dangerous to let Catgirl Barbie out of her box." Raven delivered her line in her trademark monotone, which made it seem all that more insulting to Kori.

"You're gonna regret that later, demon girl."

Kori walked away, sort of hating herself for what she had said to Raven, the only friend she had back at the Tower when she was still Starfire. But then again, what had changed? Starfire and Kori had the same face and body—why was Kori only recognized as a Barbie doll now?

Raven was wondering something very different. Like how Robin promised he wouldn't tell Bruce about her being part demon. And how a girl they had only just met could figure that out from one conversation and a quiet dinner. Her eyes drifted to Kori's door, which stood ajar.

"I think I'll sit this mission out." She said to no one in particular. "Hey, Robin?"

After Raven watched the Batmobile disappear from view, she hastened to Kori's door, which was still wide open. Quietly, even though there was no one in the house but her and Alfred, who she could hear fiddling in the kitchen, Raven tiptoed into Kori's room, desperate to find anything on her, anything at all. She used her powers to pull out drawers, open locks, and sift through papers. That was when she found the box. Hidden in Kori's closet, no amount of Raven's magic could open it. She jiggled it to figure out what sort of things were inside it, and she heard the slither of papers shifting.

And then Alfred walked in. "Miss, I say this keeping in mind that you are the Wayne Family's guest. I must ask you to leave Miss Anders' room."

Raven frowned. "She's hiding something, sir, in this box. Why else would she make it so impossible to open that even I, with my powers, can't open it?"

"Miss Anders likes her privacy."

"Well, if she's a danger to my team, then I have a right to know."

Alfred paused. "I assure you, you are the last person on this planet that Miss Anders intends to harm. She is no more a threat than I."

Raven nodded. Alfred clearly wasn't telling her something, but there was nothing she could do about it. If she ignored his request, it would be blatantly rude. She would have to approach Kori later, do her best to subtly grill her.

Maybe she would find something out, maybe she wouldn't.

Kori and the rest of them got all the way out to the bank, beat up the bad guys, and they were out of there in a matter of minutes. As much as Kori hated admitting it, the Titans were a big help. They cut the work in half, at least, even without Raven. Kiki hung back to talk to her after, but Kori ignored her, hopped on her motorcycle, and got home before everyone else.

When she got home, she immediately took a shower to clear off all the dirt and rubble from her skin. When she got out, she found Tim sitting at her desk, waiting for her.

"Are you going to tell them, Kori?"

Tim was holding a picture in his hand, a picture from the box. "How did you get that?" Kori grabbed the picture from his hand and put it back in the open box.

I found your necklace, the Tameranian one. I just wanted to see what you looked like before all this happened. I wanted to see what you looked like when you were happy."

"I am happy, Tim." Kori sighed and held the box in her lap.

"It doesn't seem like it. Can you even make starbolts or fly anymore?" Tim stared at her in disbelief.

"Of course I can. I am a little rusty, but I still can. I choose not to. Too many bad reminders…"

Tim sighed. "I'm not saying you should forgive them, but you could try explaining to them why you left, instead of leaving them wondering."

At this moment, Raven was passing by, and she paused when she heard her name.

"Raven already does. I think she told the rest of them, but I don't know. Honestly, I don't care."

"Alright, Kori. I can't force you to do anything, and I won't say anything if you don't want me to. But I think you should. That's all I have to say."

Raven backed from the door as Tim left, and she vanished back to her own room to think about what she'd heard.

Meanwhile, Kori opened the door to her balcony and stood looking up at the stars, doing nothing but staring at the stars. She thought about all the happy times with Dani and when Bruce and Selena adopted her. It was enough.

Her feet rose from the ground a few inches, but her hands would not glow green with energy. Patience was a virtue Kori didn't have, unfortunately.

And the next window over, Raven watched with her eyes wide.

The next morning at breakfast, Kori was tired, more tired than usual. Her head ached, and she was pretty sure it had everything to do with her using her powers for the first time in years. It felt great having power again, but she should've started smaller instead of flying around her room for an hour the night before.

She was surprised she had enough happiness while her ex-team mates were boarding in her house to let her fly. She could only get about an inch or two off the ground, and her starbolts still weren't working, but flight certainly was a start.

But was the headache worth it.

After breakfast, where Kori ignored the Titans, she went upstairs and opened her box.

The box was a Tamaranean specialty, only able to open to a Tameranean with powers. However, when Kori's powers first started vanishing, when she was still trying to get over the Titans, she put as much of her power as she could into a key, so that if her powers didn't come back, she could still open the box. It was fully functional as a keepsake treasure chest, and she hid the key with its chain around her neck. The day before, when she went to take a shower, she must have left it on her desk, meaning Tim had access to her box.

As she looked through all the old memories, she couldn't help but wonder if she ought to tell the Titans whom she was, why she never came back. But how would they react? They would want her to come back, she was sure of it. But she was never going back there. Ever.

There was a quiet knock on the door and Raven's head peeked in.

"Hi, Kori. I just wanted to apologize for fighting with you last night. Can I come in?"

Kori sighed. "Why not?"

Raven sat on a couch, and Kori hastily tried to put the box away. But she watched Raven's eyes fix on it, and she knew what was coming.

"What's in there?"

"Nothing. Old junk."

"So why is it so heavily protected?" Raven's arms were crossed. She didn't feel like being subtle anymore.

"I thought you came in here to apologize."

"Don't change the subject. What's in there that I apparently already know about? I heard you and Tim talking about it. About something I already know about, something I 'told the rest of them."

Kori was getting angry. "You were snooping at my door?"

"No, I was passing by and I heard my name. Now tell me what is going on."

"It's none of your business, Raven!"

"You made it my business when you started being a female dog to my team and I!"

"No more of a female dog than you, Raven? Catgirl Barbie? That's low, even for demon spawn!" Kori's hands were heating up.

"How do you even know that? Have you been spying on my team, looking for weaknesses to take us down?"

"Oh give it up, Raven! I couldn't care less about your little team of misfits!" Kori's hands were full out glowing green, and Raven was staring at them, at Kori, making the connection. "I haven't cared for _two years._ _Two years! _And now you all decide to come back into the life I so carefully tried to build, _without you guys might I mention, _and it seems you are all just trying to remind me why I was never a real part of the team anyway. I'm Catgirl Barbie, remember? The one who shouldn't even be allowed out of her box. Are you happy now, Raven? Now that you've discovered my secret?" Kori was breathing heavily; Raven was staring at her in awe.

"Starfire? What happened to you?" Raven didn't make a habit of crying a lot, but tears were gathering in her eyes. "What have we done to you?"

"It's Kori now. Kori Anders, or Koriand'r, my birth name. In English, it means Starfire." Kori sighed. "Raven, it took all my willpower to treat you the way that I did. I needed to be the opposite of Starfire, the fumbling weak alien. I had to be tougher than that. You were never bad to me Raven, and I was never angry with you. I knew you of all people would figure out that there was something different about me, so I had to lead you off my case. What happened after I had gone?"

Raven smiled through the tears. "Well, we all sort of freaked out on Robin. Beast Boy and Cyborg don't really talk to him all that much anymore. We still fought and won battles and there were times when everything felt okay, but it wasn't the same with you gone. You were what brought us together in the first place, remember?"

Kori nodded. "After I left, I flew for days until I wound up on a rooftop here in Gotham. Bruce saw me, recognized my name when I told him whom I was, and he invited me into his home, as his daughter. I dyed my hair, and I became a model. Everything was fine until you guys showed up again."

Raven nodded. "I'm sorry we ruined it. I won't tell the rest of them. But I was wondering, are you going to tell them?"

Kori shrunk back into her shell. "I don't know. Maybe Cyborg and Beast Boy, but I don't think I could handle telling Robin, not after…"

Raven nodded. "What do you want me to do? I don't think I can keep a secret like this from Beast Boy or Cyborg. I mean, they would realize that something was up."

"I won't ask you to lie, Raven, just promise me you won't tell them anything. If they are suspicious, just send them to me and I will try to explain. I just want to do this on my own terms."

Raven nodded. "Do you want to go out, get away from the mansion for a bit? I know I'm going to regret this later, but would you want to go to the mall? Do something you used to love? It might help you get your starbolts back…"

Kori was wonderstruck. "You're kidding. You want to go to the mall?"

Raven rolled her eyes at Kori's astonishment but smiled a teensy weensy bit.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own teen titans, but when I'm a famous billionaire, I ****_will _****pay for another season. You have my word.**

**Let's crack on then! (That's from Sherlock Holmes, btdubbs. One of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE MOVIES).**

**Cracking on then...**

Kori smiled and clapped her hands. "You have no idea how happy you just made me."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it's just the mall."

Kori's eyes widened. "_Just the mall? _No, Raven, the mall is not 'just the mall,' it's the meeting place of hundreds of kindred spirits, the birthplace of trends that can make or break you in my line of work! It's—it's the style epicenter of every city, the social hub for any and all kinds of people. It orchestrates the rise and fall of the commercial economy! Nay, Raven, the mall is not _just the mall, _but a place worthy of your utmost respect, and it deserves to be spoken of with reverence." Kori crossed her arms to finish her speech.

Raven rolled her eyes for the third time in that conversation. "Whatever. If we're going, we're going now."

Kori was riding backseat of Dani's Thunderbird in ten minutes flat. Raven was sitting with her arms crossed in the front seat as she grumbled about too much wind and too loud music. If only Bruce hadn't forced her to get Kori out of the house at all costs. Of course, he hadn't figured Raven would guess who Kori was, but that was irrelevant. Dani winked at Raven while Kori looked the other way. Of course, the obnoxious best friend was in on it…

Kori had had to force Raven into the car. You see, Dani was currently her only mode of transportation because her Jeep may or may not have found its way into an unsuspecting lake when Kori was driving at night. What? Driving was hard and the DMV couldn't possibly expect her to always drive on roads when she was already (four hours) past curfew and there was a shortcut right through the park's carefully tended lawn? It was past midnight. Those park gates should've been closed. And they shouldn't have put sharp rocks in the grass or she wouldn't have blown a tire and dove headfirst into the lake. See? Bruce had no grounds to 'relieve her of her driving privileges' just because of that silly little incident!

So, because Dani was the best best friend in the world, she took up the mission (more like double-edged sword) of driving Kori and guests around. Which meant that even though Raven didn't like Dani all that much, she was forced to ride the fifteen minutes to the mall in the front seat, silently killing Dani every time she blew out her eardrums with the radio when her favorite song(s) came on.

When they finally got to the mall, sort of in one piece, Kori turned to Raven and smiled maniacally.

"Are you ready for the ultimate shopping experience, Raven?"

"No."

"Great! Now let's go. I heard there was a sale at John Hopkins, so you _know _imma wanna hit dat up." Dani slid on some sunglasses as she got out of the car and walked around to open the door for Kori, designer bag on her arm.

"May I just say, Kori, that you look particularly spicy today?"

"I try, I try." Kori was wearing some high-waisted jean shorts, a black tee-shirt from a band she went to hear once, a jean vest, and some rectangular metal earrings. Her black hair was tied up in a loose bun and she had wrapped a black bandana around her head to hold the baby hairs back. Along with her black combat boots, she had to admit that Kori was indeed spicy.

"Can we please just get this over with? I have a long list of things I'd rather be doing right now."

Dani elbowed her. "Is one of them Zac Efron?"

"No, but one of them is Chinese water torture."

Dani smirked. "Alright then, Debbie Downer. We'll do what we can to get you to your cliff on time."

Dani walked ahead leaving Kori with Raven. "C'mon, it was your idea. You said you would go…"

"I didn't say I would enjoy it."

"Whatever, let's just go in, because I'm pretty sure Dani's right about that sale…"

Two hours later, Raven was ready to take a long walk off a short pier. Shopping with the two model princesses was the equivalent of talking with Beast Boy for six hours, and that she could barely stand.

They had gone to seven stores, gotten snacks, eaten lunch, and accumulated more bags than an eighty-year-old woman opposed to Botox.

Somehow, Kori and Dani had managed to consume three orders of French fries, a chocolate milkshake each, and two cookies. Now Raven knew Kori had a gigantic appetite, but she was impressed with how skinny Dani was, especially since it was clear that these were her normal eating habits.

"Would you like some?" Kori was holding out Dani and her fourth order of French fries to Raven, who shook her head in fear of her cholesterol.

"You know Kor, I heard through the grapevine that Brucie McMoneyBags is throwing a soirée sometime soon for your sweet eighteenth. Care to verify said rumor?"

Kori raised her eyebrows. "It must've been a surprise, because I didn't know about it. What do you know? Theme? Guests? Dress? Food?"

"Give me a sec." Dani dove into her phone and stayed glued to it for a good ten minutes. Kori saw Raven split off from their table in the food court and walk into a used bookshop. Well, she might as well find something she likes, because she had no purchases so far.

"It sounds like… Formal dress, masquerade ball theme, two hundred fifty guests, and oh! He got Janini's to cater. Score! Sounds like tons of shits and giggles. I'm sure there'll be an open bar, and we'll be wearing masks…" Dani's eyes glazed over at the thoughts of boozing it up at a thriving party.

"No. If it's my birthday party, I don't want you binging out on me when I won't be able to help. Bruce will be watching me like a hawk. You know, I have to find a dress… why don't we hit John Hopkins again? I mean they're having a sale…"

Dani shrugged her shoulders and grabbed her many bags and headed in the direction of their favorite boutique. "I'll meet you there. You grab little miss sunshine and we'll regroup there, 'kay?"

Dani didn't wait for Kori's answer, but once Kori had collected Raven and made her way to John Hopkins, Dani was waiting there already.

"Alright, I got you a present, Miss Enthusiastic." She turned to Raven and tossed her a brown bag. Raven reached in and felt her fingers brush feathers.

She pulled out a marvelous black mask with sparkling sliver studs on the brows and black feathers sprouting from the left side of the forehead.

"You'll be a raven. I'm going to be a blue jay." Dani indicated to the robin's egg blue mask she had herself. "Kori, I figured the only cool bird left was a peacock and I figured that fit your personality awfully well, so here's your mask."

It covered only her eyes and was a swirl of royal blue, green, and a hint of dark purple. "Thanks, Dan!"

Raven acted perplexed, even though she knew exactly what was going on. "I don't get it."

Kori laid a hand on Raven's arm. "My eighteenth surprise birthday party is masquerade themed, so we need masks, of course. Dani, superb job in picking the masks."

Dani smiled gratifyingly and gestured to the door. "I know, I know… I'm amazingly fantastic, yada yada yada… now can we please go in? I actually do need a dress. And so do you."

The girls walked into John Hopkins.

John Hopkins was probably the most expensive store in Gotham. However, the clothes were works of art, and surprisingly sturdy. John Hopkins, the storeowner who designs all the dresses and clothes, was a close friend of Kori's, who had known her since her first debut as Kori Anders, adopted Wayne celebutante.

"Korina, my darling, you get more beautiful by the day! Oh, and Danielle, you look ravishing as always."

There was John now. The tall, gangly man, with his nasal voice and his square framed glasses, hugged each girl with one arm. "And who is this?"

Kori grabbed Raven and thrust her forward. "This is an old friend of mine. Raven, meet John Hopkins."

Raven stiffly shook the kind man's hand then wafted around the room, eying the clothes.

"Now, John, I don't know if you'll have anything for me, but—"

John shooed her off. "I was already informed by your… father, I suppose, that you would be needing a particular kind of dress. In fact, he notified me last month. He said it was for a mystery event."

Dani cut in. "Okay, I already told her everything, John. I couldn't keep it in; I was too excited."

Kori looked at Dani. "Brucie had asked Raven and I to get you to the mall so you can pick up your dress, and he told me what you were going to be beforehand. He said he wanted us all to be birds."

John stomped his foot and whined. "Danielle, now you've ruined the surprise!"

Dani shrugged. "Sorry, Johnnie. Truth is, I have a really, _really _big mouth."

John sighed. "Ah, well, you'll still love the dresses. I made one for each of you thanks to warning from Miss Zurich, even the grumpy one. But Kori, yours is my _masterpiece. _Now come on, let's get you fitted."

Minutes later, Kori was standing on the fitting block in front of mirror, wearing one of the most amazing things she'd ever worn.

The dress was a full-length masterpiece with a sweetheart strapless neckline. The bust was a brilliant royal blue wrapped silk, with fake diamonds wrapping the waist. The bottom, though, was the masterpiece. It was not a particularly full skirt, but was pleated with authentic looking peacock feathers. Standing, it looked as if she had feathers running down her legs. But when she twirled, the feathers fanned out, revealing an underlay of even more plumage. When she spun, she could see in the mirror that she was a bird.

"John… it's exquisite…" Kori couldn't stop smiling. When she wore that dress, it was a privilege. The dress wasn't complimenting Kori— Kori was complimenting the dress.

"I know." John wore the smile of a man who knew he had done his best work.

"And this was all Bruce's idea? Surely he can't have known what my dream party would be or what kind of dress I would die to wear."

John smiled. "Miss Kyle assisted me in the details. A fantastic woman, that Selena certainly is a catch. I mean, of course, I would've concocted something worthy of every eye in the ballroom, but without Selena's advice on your preference, I don't think I would've been able to create something that would catch the eye of the most important one there—you, my dear. Now surely, since I've done you such a favor, you would put me next to Miss Zurich and you when sitting down for dinner at the party, surely."

Kori rolled her eyes. "Fine, but stop calling me Shirley." [**See bottom for A/N and super-fun contest.] **

Next, Dani tried on her gown. It was stunning of course. The dress was magnificent. It was to the knee in the front, but dropped to mid-calf in the back, with a skirt much like Kori's that was loose around her hips but not poufy, like Cinderella. That wasn't really their style…

The top of the dress was a pristine eggshell silk with a low v-neck and thin straps that accentuated Dani's posture. The skirt was powder blue and soft silk, pleated to dance around the knees. A blue ribbon with a beautiful diamond pattern wrapped just beneath the bust and tied in the back. The back was a beautiful see-through cream overlay connected to the straps at the top of the shoulders, embedded with a swirling diamond pattern, and ending just at the bottom of Dani's spine. It was elegant and graceful, even though its wearer was not quite so.

"Not bad, John, not bad. I am excited, I'll admit. Whoever isn't looking at Kori will be looking at me. Holler!"

No one hollered. "Jeez, tough crowd. All right what do you have for Kori's old friend who will be a raven, and, get this, her _name is Raven!_ God, I crack myself up sometimes."

Dani stepped off the block, and John handed a very reluctant Raven a black garment bag.

"I don't think so." Raven shook her head.

"Oh, come on, Raven? Scared from a little garment bag? Don't want to put on the pwetty dwessie wessie?" Kori puffed out her bottom lip and batted her eyes at Raven, who took the garment bag and stormed into the dressing room to change, if only to prove to Kori that she was not scared of the 'dwessie wessie.'

Looking in the mirror, she already didn't like it. Too sparkly, too not her in every way.

She walked out fuming, only to jump maybe seven feet in the air when she heard Dani emit a noise somewhere between the noise Beast Boy makes when he wins a video game and the noise a puppy makes when it's been hit repeatedly with a monster truck. It was sort of a whoop-squeal and it wasn't attractive.

"You look awesome!"

Dani did the Beast Boy dead puppy noise again (she realizes now how weird and sick that sounded).

Raven looked in the mirror. Her dress was pitch black and one shouldered, and the only one with a full, ballroom style skirt (which she hated). The skirt was made of ripped squares of tulle, and the bodice was a silk one shoulder with little spots of black sparkles. It was pretty, but _god _she hated that skirt. John seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"You are too tiny for a full length skirt. Stand still."

John set to work with a glint in his eye, and Raven was forced to stand on that godforsaken block for what felt like hours while Kori and Dani flitted around her making comments or nodding, their expressions stone-cold serious. That's what she gets for offering to go shopping with models.

"Alright, that's much better." John stepped back and admired his work. His unnaturally-gray-because-he-can't-be-more-than-thirty-years-old, gelled-up hair glinted in the light from the overhead lamp.

Raven looked in the mirror. The skirt came only to just above her knee now, and she had to say it was a whole hell of a lot better. She didn't have bad legs, and since they were short, the material before was swallowing them. Now she felt air waft around her ankles and realized that full-length ball gowns were goddamn _ovens _and it was a very good thing that John had hemmed it or she would've had to hex someone up _real bad. _She might still.

Kori was very pleased. Her friend's navy blue hair looked cute with the dress, even though one of her golden unbreakable rules was to never wear navy blue with black. It's just disrespectful to the poor, innocent people who are forced to look at you wearing that sort of monstrosity. I mean, come on, it's just common courtesy.

Anyway, Kori could safely say that the shopping trip she shared with her two best friends from her two different lives was on the list of her top ten most amazing experiences.

Maybe the only thing better was when she got away from her 'friends' in the first place.

But that was irrelevant now, wasn't it?

**A/N: So another chapter down, a lot more to go. The contest I mentioned is this: if you can guess what movie the quote above is from (the one when Kori was talking with John about the dress), than you get to make a character to be a guest at Kori's party, where let me just tell you ****_stuff will go down. _****The character can be you, your best friend, or maybe a character from your own fanfic or a friend's (as long as you have permission) so we could get some crossover action all up in here. If you've won, I will PM you the deets and I will make sure to include your character, though it will probably be a brief appearance, depending on how attached I get to the character.**

**Warning: Kori's big birthday bash isn't going to be for a while, towards the end, actually, because I need to get some development between Kori and the rest of the Titans and of course we can't forget Kiki (*cough slut cough*). So yeah, if you can guess what movie that quite was from (it's one of my personal faves, an old comedy my dad showed me) than you will get to sort of influence the story in your own way! So guess away, my pretties, and we'll see who shall emerge victorious!**

**Sorry that was a little too Asgard. I'll try to rein it in.**

**Love, Ana **

**Ps: click on this link if you wanna see Raven's dress before it got hemmed. I made Dani and Kori's up, so no pictures of those, but if you can't imagine mine, or you think they should be wearing something different, feel free to imagine them into dresses of your own design. That's what I do! **

**Hugs and Butterfly kisses**

**Your author,**

**Ana**

.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: SO sorry it's been a while, but chapter 3 is officially in business! Now, as for my super-fun contest, the winner is indeed: I' . . So congrats Dude, because you will get your character in my story somewhere, most likely at Kori's big b-day bash. So, enjoy chapitre trois. **

**Ana**

Kori woke the next day feeling as if someone had taken a hammer to her skull. What was wrong with her?

Her vision was hazy, and sweat made her hair stick to her forehead and neck, like a noose, strangling her.

Her breath was heavy as she sat up too fast, hitting her head on the ceiling of her alcove. Cursing, she fumbled into her bathroom and stared at her reflection; a guttural scream froze at her lips.

Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, and dark circles ringed them. Her lips were pale and her skin was clammy. And besides that, harsh red welts were beginning to form on her palms.

What was happening to her?

And then it hit her.

_The night before…_

_Kori sat alone in her room after her shopping trip. The euphoria was still sketched on her face, an expression that hadn't been caused by her past life for a long, long time._

_As she flipped through the pictures of before, the happy ones where she was smiling and laughing, she subconsciously felt her hands heat up. Looking down, she gasped. Her hands were encircled in the green fields of energy that she had so missed. She hadn't used her starbolts since Raven had annoyed her so much that the energy was released. But that had been a flimsy beam, a wispy, shaking burst of energy, lacking control and luster. _

_But this, this was a real starbolt, strong and bright, flickering around her palms. And it was staying there, too. She felt her hands warm as if they'd been left in the snow for a while, but were heating up by a fire. _

_A kind of coldness that Kori hadn't realized was there. _

_She couldn't help the smile on her face. Everything was falling into her lap, what with her flight returning, Dani accepting Raven, Raven accepting Kori, Raven agreeing—nay, suggesting to go shopping? These were miracles she hadn't even thought about imagining. _

_With a yelp of joy, she focused all her happiness into her hands, and they glowed brighter and brighter and brighter by the second._

_With one last burst of concentration, Kori stuck out a hand and felt with elation the feeling of a starbolt ejecting from her palms, a sort of tingling mixed with the feeling of air being blown at the palms. _

_The starbolt soared into her closet and into a pile of dirty clothes, muffling the flame in its folds. _

_Then she noticed the pain. It wasn't sharp or disorienting, but it was a nuisance. Her eyes widened as she looked at the offending hand. It was bright red and smoke was gently rising off of the skin._

_She ran her hand under cool water in the sink, and the pain quelled as the water bubbled and evaporated on her skin as if it were a hot pan. _

_The pain gone, Kori returned to using her starbolts, running her hand under the cool water again and again, even when her hand turned fiery red and heat waves pulsed over the skin._

_She was too happy to notice or to care. _

Kori spluttered.

How had she forgotten all the lessons that she'd learned as a baby Tameranian? She had always been told as a girl that if she didn't use her powers, they could go away, and, if she attempted to use them too quickly after that, her body would not be able to handle the stress.

And she was now cursing herself for being so _stupid. _Now what could she do? Bruce would obviously question why she had a bandage around her hand, and she couldn't pull Bruce aside to speak in private if everyone was watching; suspicion would certainly be aroused.

Quietly, still in her pajamas, Kori padded to Raven's room. Raven would be able to help, surely. At least she wouldn't have to explain too much, since Raven was an empath…

Kori quietly knocked on the door. She heard a vague shuffling sound inside until Raven opened the door only enough to show half her face.

"Raven? Thank X'hal, I didn't know what to do! I got my powers back and I forgot that—"

Raven was clamping a hand over Kori's mouth and dragging her into the room.

Kori smirked. "I love what you've done with the place."

The room, which had plain gray-blue walls and bright windows, was now darker than a mausoleum. Raven had hung blackout curtains over the windows, shedding only little slivers of white light where the curtains fluttered. Books were stacked on every surface, and dark colored clothes were strewn carelessly about the floors, which used to be glossy hard wood.

"Kori, what are you doing here?" Kori's eyes widened as she saw Beast Boy step into the light of one of the curtains. "I didn't know you had powers! Do you shape-shift, like me? OH, are you an empath like Raven? Do you have super speed? Can you make yourself camouflage? Oh, can you—"

Raven was glaring at Kori, probably angry that she had gotten Beast Boy started. "Beast Boy?"

"Hm?"

"Shut up."

"Why do I have to shut up?"

"Because I said so."

Beast Boy shrugged and sat down in a chair that had been miraculously spared from the accumulation of books and clothes.

"Raven what was Beast Boy doing in here, anyway?"

Raven looked away, and Beast Boy answered. "We were talking. About you actually, and how much we hated you."

"What?"

"OH, but we don't anymore, right Rae?"

"I told you not to call me that. My name is Raven."

"Whatever, _Rae_."

"I _said _stop calling me that."

"You don't yell at Robin when he calls you Rae."

"Well, I prefer not talking to _Robin _at all, these days."

"Well, neither do I. He just really can't take hints, can he? I mean, after what he did to Starfire and how he—hey? Where'd Kori go?"

The place where Kori had been standing was now vacant.

"Way to go. You scared her off with your incessant mouth-flapping."

"I'm not incessant."

"You don't know what incessant means."

"Nope."

"You're excruciating."

"Stop confusing me with grown-up words. They make me befuddled."

"I don't think that's a real word."

"Yes it is. Look it up. I dare you."

"I don't do _dares._"

"That's because you're too _grown-up_."

"At least I know words that both exist and are longer than four letters."

"I think you're amazing."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Kori had left the room once the monkey inside her head started up an encore of his previous tap-dancing performance.

Breathing heavily, she knew where else she needed to go. Luckily, Bruce, Selena, and the rest of the Titans were at breakfast, but running past a familiar door, Kori glimpsed a head of dark raven hair.

"Tim! I need your help! I tried to use my powers and I think my bolts burned my hands…"

Kori ran into the room, only to find that she and Tim weren't alone. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh, hey Kori. Robin was just coming in to find out if I wanted advice about being Robin. I _told _him that I can handle it, but he seems to think that I'm completely useless."

Tim was glaring at Robin, who was staring at Kori with confusion. Oh, X'hal! He must have heard her say something about her starbolts!

"You know, I'm just going to drop it, okay? I'll see you guys at breakfast…" Robin walked out the door with suspicion in his eyes.

"Kori! He could've heard you!" Tim whisper-yelled at Kori with authority in his tone.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't have a choice! Look!" Kori thrust out her hands so that Tim could see them.

The red burns snaked around her palms like red hot rope, and even continued up to her forearm a bit. Tim sucked in a breath.

"What happened?"

Kori shifted in her bare feet and pajamas. "Well, I may have gone overboard with my powers." Tim looked at her patronizingly. "Hey! I couldn't help it, I was excited."

"Go on."

"Well, I made a bolt yesterday, and I kept making bolts, and my hands kept getting hotter and hotter. I didn't care, so I just kept going, practicing. It was the first time I'd seen those powers in years, Tim!"

Tim crossed his arms. "You have got to be more careful. I still think you should tell him the truth. That being said, I think you should tell him, and the rest of the Titans, the truth, instead of having them stumble into you 'practicing' in your room. At least if you tell them, they'll be more likely to accept you instead of if you keep going behind their backs."

"Maybe I don't want Robin's acceptance. He didn't accept me before, so why should he accept me now?"

Tim sighed. "He may be a bit cocky, but he's a nice guy. I think he's changed, Kor. I think you should give him a chance. But I'm with you on this, no matter what you choose, okay? Now stay here. I'll go get Alfred, and he can bandage you up."

Kori nodded and watched her little brother walk out of the room, with her best interests constantly in mind, and she wondered how she had gotten so lucky.

Tim returned not ten minutes later, and Alfred trailed behind him holding a roll of bandages, antiseptic, and scissors.

"Alright, Miss Anders, before I can wrap it, I'll have to clean it, and I'm afraid it might sting a bit. Now, Master Timothy, if you could please hold these." Alfred handed Tim the bandages and scissors, and quietly uncapped the antiseptic.

Kori sat down on Tim's bed and held her hands out.

Alfred produced from his pockets a clean washcloth and let the antiseptic soak into the cloth. Then, gently, he pressed the washcloth to Kori's burns.

She sucked in a breath. The antiseptic stung on her sensitive, mutated flesh, and she bit nearly clean through her bottom lip. Steeling herself, she tried to block the pain from her mind and stay still so that Alfred could work, but it wasn't easy by any means.

When Alfred was finally finished with the antiseptic, Kori's skin was red, raw, but decidedly cleaned. Alfred, with the skill of a physician, trimmed from the roll of bandages in Tim's hands, and wrapped the pristine white cloth around Kori's palms and a bit over her wrists and forearms, covering the burns. Her fingers were left free from the horizontally wrapped bandages, so she had decent mobility, but her wrists felt constricted and useless.

But it was better.

Alfred picked up his treasures and prepared to leave, but Kori stopped him.

"Thank you, Alfred. I mean that."

Alfred smiled at Kori with warmth and care in his eyes that reminded Kori yet again of how lucky she was. He laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Anything for you, Miss Anders. I mean that as well."

And then, with one last fleeting smile, Alfred shuffled out the door and into the hallway, turning out of sight.

"How do they feel?" Tim's words startled her. She had been caught in a thought, and she had forgotten that he was there.

"Sorry? I was thinking." Kori shook her head to clear her mind.

"Really? I didn't know you could do that."

"Ha ha, very funny. Now, what were you saying?"

Tim rolled his eyes. "I was asking how your hands felt."

She shrugged. "They hurt like little bitches."

Tim laughed. "Well, clearly you're fine. Now Bruce is probably expecting us at breakfast, but I'm just gonna tell him that you feel sick because you look like crap."

"Gee, you really know how to make a girl feel special." Kori smirked. "But, thanks. I think I need to murder the tap-dancing monkey in my head before it reproduces."

"What?"

"Wow, that sounded a lot less weird and scary in my head. Never mind."

"Don't tell me you've started hearing voices."

Kori snorted. "Oh shut up. I don't hear voices in my head… _yet._"

Kori cackled and walked out of the room, leaving Tim smirking and laughing at his sister's antics.

"You're cool, Kori! You're _sooooooo _cool!" Tim yelled after her as she retreated to her room.

Instead of getting dressed or taking an Advil or thirty, the first thing Kori did when she got back to her room was collapse on her bed and fall immediately back asleep. It was pretty easy too, despite the pain in her hands.

However, when she woke up, there were two concerned faces looming over her face, and she, for the second time that day, sat up too quickly and slammed her forehead into the ceiling of her alcove. The monkey protested by slamming its tap shoes as hard as its little fuzzy arms could manage on the walls of her skull and laughing at her as she fell off her bed. Looking up, Beast Boy and Raven were staring down at her with amused expressions. Or Beast Boy was. Raven may have been constipated, but no one could ever really tell the difference.

Kori sat up and pulled herself onto a chair, stumbling and holding her head in her hands.

"You guys suck, you know that?"

"We love you too." Beast Boy patted Kori's head and the monkey screeched in disapproval.

"Don't flatter yourself. Now what do you want? I'm kinda busy at the moment."

Beast Boy smiled and stood up, with Raven following. "Bruce told us to tell you to get your butt out of bed. We're going on an _adventure."_

**A/N: So, another little game. Tell me a joke! Make me laugh in some way, and if you make me laugh the hardest, I will have Kori/Dani/Raven say your joke and you will get a shoutout in chapter 4 :) Alright have fun everybody! Be creative, but NO INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT PLEASE. Just in case there are younger readers out there, you can swear, but don't take your jokes to any grey areas, because I will not pick you if you do (even if I end up dying of laughter at your ridiculously funny and clever, yet off-color joke.) So happy joke-hunting, readers! **

**I enjoy laughter,**

**Ana**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Soooo sorry that it's been so long, but I have been super busy! So, as an apology, I put a lot of effort into this chapter and gave you all something exciting: someone else is going to find out about Kori's secret. Actually it's two people, but I don't want to give anything away, so...yeah! But one more thing, I am extending the joke contest from last weeks chapter to give people more opportunities to submit. Plus, I am also allowing comebacks as submissions (like the one Kori makes in this chapter) because I think they are more clever than jokes. And feel free to make more than one entry.**

**Also, anyone reading my other stories and wondering why I haven't really been updating often, it's because I've been focused on this one. I just have more of a plan for this one. Think of it like this: my stories are streets and I can see the end of this road, while with the other stories, they're all very twisty-turny roads so it's taking me longer to work out what I want in them.**

**That being said...Read on!**

**-Ana **

Thirty minutes after Beast Boy's promise of adventure, Kori wanted to tell the monkey in her head to just end it; for god's sake, just end this cruel life quickly.

And she was pretty sure the monkey was on speed.

Two hours after Beast Boy's promise of adventure, she wanted to go home and die. Immediately. Because nothing, and she means _nothing _is worse than spending two and a half freakin' hours at a public library with nothing to do. Believe it or not, Kori was capable of reading. _Enjoying _reading is a completely different action, one that Kori couldn't wrap her mind around. Who would want to stare at a solitary page for hours at a time, squinting to see itsy bitsy little black type? Not Kori, that's for damn sure.

Not to mention she had to hide in a deserted section because everyone in the library kept whispering and pointing as if they would never expect Kori Anders to be in a library.

Okay, so maybe that was warranted. But it was still rude.

After the first ten minutes of sitting on the floor of the deserted section between two ceiling-high bookshelves, Kori named her private section the Shits.

Why? No, not because the content of the books was shit (though that may be questionable), but because they were treated like shit. Every single spine was cracked and warped from water damage or over-use. The dust caked the pages like the ground after the first snowfall. When Kori actually cracked one of those bad-boys, so much dust got shot into her face that she almost died. Almost.

But when the dust settled, she noticed doodles in the margins of the books and crudely drawn pictures of… well, human genitals… drawn on the inside cover pages. Text had been highlighted or circled or underlined to the point of illegibility, and Kori had to literally press her nose into the book in order to read it.

She felt sympathy towards the books in the Shits. They might've been good books if people hadn't defiled them with scribbles and abused them. She started leafing through the books, and whenever she found a doodle or a marking, she made up a story in her head about what that person was doing when they made that mark.

A girl in college named Brianna had spilled coffee on her copy of _A Winter's Tale _upon sighting her old tormentor, Mark, from high school in her favorite coffee shop, miles and miles from their hometown. Then they fell in love.

Daniella was calmly reading her favorite book, _To Kill A Mockingbird, _when her boyfriend came up and proposed, and she ripped the page in surprise. Their wedding was a theme wedding, and she looked lovely, if you were wondering. They honeymooned in Siesta Key.

Phoebe had been carrying her books through the hallway when she and the new kid collided and her books, including her school-assigned copy of _Girl With A Pearl Earring, _which got kicked into a locker that scuffed the first few letters off of the cover. Ben, the new kid, helped her pick them up, and their hands met over the newly damaged –_l With A Pearl Earring. _They fell in love. You know what he got her for Valentine's Day? Pearl earrings.

_Treasure Island _had been one of the books on the Titanic with Jack and Rose. Someone picked it up out of the water, damaged but still usable, and it had somehow found its way to Gotham.

_The Great Gatsby _had been given to a boy by his girlfriend and they were happy until this slut came in and framed the girl for something she didn't do and the boyfriend believed the slut and called his girlfriend mean names and the girl ran away because she never wanted to see the boy again—

"YOU BASTARD!" Kori thought; but no, she hadn't thought it, she had yelled it aloud in the middle of the Shits, glaring at the book her nose was buried in. People were staring.

Kori glared and the monkey chattered and clapped his cymbals, taunting her. The people looked away.

Okay, so say, hypothetically, that Kori was a tiny bit bitter. Not, like, a lot, but… yeah. She would have a right, right? I mean, this is all hypothetical of course, but wouldn't that bitterness, if it were the case, be justified?

"I'm afraid we've interrupted something, Raven. Perhaps we should give Kori and her book some time to talk things out."

Kori snapped her head up. Beast Boy and Raven were desperately trying to hold in laughs, obviously having witnessed her verbal assault on the poor defenseless bastard book. Well, Kori had to defend herself.

"He was cheating on me with that slut _Romeo and Juliet."_

"Shame on him." Raven said this in her trademark monotone.

Kori smiled faintly as Raven took a longer look. "Kori, are you actually _reading?"_

Now she was slightly offended. "God, no. Reading is so boring. It's just staring at one thing for hours and hours…"

Beast Boy laughed. "Come on, I once saw a walrus stare at one thing for two hours."

Kori whipped her head around and smirked. "Oh yeah? Did you say good job, Mom?"

Raven snorted. Beast Boy stared slack-jawed and defeated. "I am going to use that come-back for my own purposes one of these days and it will be all your fault."

Kori smirked again as she sat up and brushed the dust off of her jeans. "I'm shaking in my boots."

Raven gestured to the door. "I've got everything that I need, so let's get out of here."

"You never even told me why you needed to be here?"

"Bruce wanted us out of the house so they could plan your party uninterrupted."

Beast Boy and Kori both yelled at Raven at the same time.

"Raven! You weren't supposed to tell her!" Beast Boy gasped, scandalized.

"AND YOU DECIDED TO TAKE ME HERE? WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT I WOULD ENJOY THIS EVEN A LITTLE BIT?"

Raven shot Kori a pointed look as people yet again turned to stare.

"I didn't think you would like it. But, I did. Beast Boy, she already knew."

Beast Boy didn't look comforted. "_But still…" _He whisper shouted this in a high pitched voice, which made Kori feel a little bit entertained, but it was by no means enough to completely lift her spirits.

"Shut up Beast Boy."

"No, I am not going home yet. I am going to make up this time we just wasted at this horrid place if it's the last thing that I do. Come on, we're going on a real adventure and I'm driving."

Kori stood up and booked it (see the pun?) out the library door and into the bright July sunshine.

She found her car, which had come back from the shop; it was a sleek red old-fashioned convertible Thunderbird, similar to Dani's. It was her baby, and she had so missed it…

She slid into the luxurious leather seats and rolled the top down, letting the sun dance on her black hair as the dark color attracted the rays. As she watched Raven and Beast Boy step out of the library and look around for Kori, she wondered if Beast Boy could see through her disguise. Her hair was blacker than ink. Her eyes were bluer than ice. She wasn't even a reflection of her former self. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Beast Boy knew.

Raven seemed to understand.

She would have to think about it more later, because they were opening the doors and sliding in.

Kori pulled out of the parking lot, and, sliding on her sunglasses, pulled away from the desolate library and towards the highway. Raven looked out from the side of her eyes as Kori pulled onto the highway, the opposite direction of both Wayne Manor and the Gotham mall.

In fact, Kori seemed to be leaving Gotham completely.

"Uhhhhh Kori, not to judge you or anything, but do you actually know where you're going?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell us?"

"It's an adventure, Beast Boy. Remember?"

The monkey in Kori's head had been quiet for almost ten minutes, so driving wasn't as bad as it would've been earlier, when Raven had seized the car saying that Kori was unfit to drive.

Now it was her turn.

After about two hours of driving, they reached the outskirts of a small beach town. She pulled through the town, full of tourists, until she reached the boardwalk.

The sun was high in the sky, and it glinted on the top of the gigantic iron Ferris wheel, the carts all decorated in pastel colors. Kori drew in a breath and let the swirling smells of fried dough and greasy hot dogs. Hundreds of carnival games were scattered around on the dirt ground, and wooden docks with benches and a few ice cream stands stretched onto the crystal waves like sprawling insects. Kori smiled. She loved it here.

They got out of the car and Beast Boy dashed off to some food stand or other, while Raven and Kori followed, slowly walking side by side.

"So, how did you know about this place?"

Kori smiled. "I stopped here to rest on my way out of Jump City. I spent the night on the purple car of the Ferris wheel. There's an old man who works here. When he found me in the wheel car that day, he fed me and introduced me to the workers here. He knows I can fly. How else would I have gotten into the cart, which was at the very top? Luckily, this is a carnival, and there are plenty of freaks here. Follow me."

Kori weaved toward the giant wheel through throngs of people. She stopped in front of an abandoned alley between a pizzeria and a hardware store. She led Raven and Beast Boy, who had returned with a plate of fried dough, down the alley and into the dark.

Beast Boy was complaining, but Kori walked deeper into the dark. She stopped at a metal door to a slim building at the end of the alley. She knocked on it, three quick knocks and two long ones, and the door opened as if on its own.

Kori stepped inside, unafraid, and breathed in the heavy scent of beeswax dripping from lit candles.

The candles were everywhere in the circular room. The lined the walls, sat on stacks of books and winked from sconces placed sporadically around the wall. Heavy purple drapes blocked the windows and hung around the room, creating a cubicle in the very center of the eerie place. Beast Boy squeaked at the sight of a skull resting on a stack of old, dusty, leather-bound books in strange languages he'd never seen, the titles written in ornate golden typeface.

Black beads hung from a break in the curtains, and Kori pushed her way through them. The hidden room was warm from the heat of a standing oven, the coals alighted and red. A worn chestnut table sat in the center, books stacked around it, and a heavy plush purple armchair propped next to it. In the chair, a woman sat. The woman was ageless; she may have been sixty, but she may have also been twenty. She had no wrinkles or crow's feet. Her eyes were wide, black as ink, and heavily lined, and her hair was wrapped into an emerald green scarf on top of her head. Her skin was a rich chocolate, and her wrists were weighed down with bracelets and ropes and beads. When her owl eyes landed on Kori, the corners of her mouth twitched into the semblance of a grin.

"Madame Zinnia." Kori nodded at the woman, whose eyes looked past Kori and to Raven and Beast Boy, who were standing at the entrance of the anteroom.

"You have returned, Koriand'r. And not just to the carnival, I see." Madame Zinnia spoke with an indecipherable accent, with touches of French and a Caribbean undertone. Her voice was low and sultry, velvet on the ears, but Kori wished that she wouldn't hint at her identity.

"Oh, her name's Kori Anders, not Kori Ander." Beast Boy spoke matter-of-factly, despite the creepiness emanating from every bit of the place.

"I know what I said, changeling."

Beast Boy's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "How did you—"?

Madame Zinnia's eyes glinted. "I am no stranger to the supernatural, boy. There is a great deal of power in this room. There is indeed a great deal of potential. Take, for example, a daughter of hell's fires. Ah… yes, a daughter of evil working for good. You disobey your father and you deny thy nature."

Raven stepped closer to the table and sat in a wooden chair next to Kori. Beast Boy did the same.

"And then of course, Koriand'r, you have the potential to be everything that you once were. But patience was never the strong suit of beings from your planet. If you continue to push yourself, you will die."

Beast Boy was scratching his head at Madame Zinnia's words, while Kori and Raven had blanched at the fortuneteller's revealing words. Kori turned to see realization dawn on Beast Boy's face.

"Kori…you have powers? What is she talking about?"

Kori stared at Madame Zinnia, trying to convey her confusion as to why she would reveal her secret.

Madame Zinnia held her palms, her skin like ice. Her owl eyes bore into Kori's contact lenses.

"Koriand'r, my knowledge is a gift you may not want, but it is a gift that you need. You hide behind a disguise, but it is not as strong as you assume. The demon daughter already knows whom you are and whom you were; where you came from. The closer you get to these people you promised to hate, the more you risk yourself. This one has a good heart."

Beast Boy swallowed and stood up, leaving the room. Kori and Raven chased after him and met him in the sunshine just outside the open door. The darkness in the fortune-teller's lair was so complete that her eyes burned from the return to the sun.

Beast Boy was standing with his arms crossed, looking at them suspiciously and a bit angrily. "Someone has to tell me what is going on. Kori you apparently have powers, and what was that about you and people from your planet? This is freaky and weird and I want answers now!"

Kori sighed and walked towards Beast Boy, who skittered backwards as if afraid of her.

"Beast Boy, I didn't want you to find out this way…. Actually, I didn't want you to find out at all because of what you might think of me. But... I'm not who you, uh, well, I'm not who you think I am."

Beast Boy snorted. "Yeah, I got that."

Kori ran a finger through her hair. She didn't know how to say this. "Okay, Beast Boy, look into my face and tell me that you don't recognize me."

Beast Boy stared intently at her face. "I don't recognize you. Sorry."

"It's me! Starfire!"

Beast Boy blanched, if a green boy can blanch, and then glared at her and Raven. "If this is supposed to be funny, it's not. It's sick and cruel. Starfire is millions of miles away on her planet."

"Yes! My planet!" But he wasn't listening to her.

"Besides, Starfire has red hair and green eyes."

Kori turned quickly. "Give me two seconds." She stuck her fingers in her eyes and removed her contacts.

Her eyes were now completely green, and Beast Boy sucked in a breath.

"No way. No _way. _This-This just isn't possible. How did you get here? Why didn't you go back to Tameran? Oh, I don't care!"

Beast Boy threw his arms around her and squeezed the life nearly out of her.

"Did you hear that Raven? This is Starfire!"

But their joy was interrupted by a sultry voice seeping through the still ajar iron door to the dark room.

A pair of shining black eyes floated just inside the door, keeping inside the dark, where owls ought to be.

"But beware, Koriand'r. There are enemies hiding in the dark. They seek to know your identity. Beware of giving this information away for free. Your fall will be at the hands of the one you loved the most. See now how their spy runs."

Kori whipped around just in time to see a foot and a leg disappear from the corner of the alley.

Madame Zinnia continued. "Beware the candles, young alien, for when they are extinguished, it will be the end of Korina Anders."

**A/N: Well well well look what we have here: it's a cliffhanger. How great are cliffhangers, I mean really? They're my favorites. So now Beast Boy knows that Koriand'r, Kori Anders, and Starfire are all the same person, and he reacted as expected: kind of angry when the notion was first brought up, then ridiculously happy when he found out it was true. Now, I will try to update as soon as I can, but I have a rather busy life with school and theater every single day. Tomorrow I have rehearsal from 12 noon to 5 in the evening** **and that's just crazy ridiculous. Ah well, c'est la vie.**

**xoxo,**

**Ana**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Okay so, to make up for how long it took me to update, this update is SUUUUUPEEEEERRRR long. It originally was going to be, like, three chapters, but then I figured, 'eh, why not give a special treat' and I was on a roll anyway. So here's the product of my word vomit. Two things about this chapter**

**1. The winning joke in my joke contest (submitted by LeavingHoofprints) is towards the end of this chapter. You GO LeavingHoofprints! I don't know what it meant, since the key words were in Tameranean, but I thought it was hilarious and absolutely that something Kori/Starfire would say. So YOU WIN. Snaps for LeavingHoofprints!**

**2. A while back, like the second/third chapter, I had another contest and the winner got to have a minor character of their choice in my story. So, I tried to announce the winner in my comments and in the following chapters, but for some reason, the program changed the winner's username into 'I...'. It was really weird... so I think it was because the name had an abundance of periods in it. So I'm going to take the periods out and see if it works. The winner was... I'mOnlyHumanDude! Insert a period in between every word an that's the actual name... ANYWAY... the introduction of their character (her name is Sami) is in here. She ended up getting a way bigger part in this story: she's REALLY IMPORTANT. Sometimes my brain does what it wants without listening to my conscience when it's saying 'no, don't exploit someone else's character for your own personal gain, even if you did ask for permission' and especially not 'no don't try to read an M-rated sotry, you will only disturb yourself because you are mentally forever five years old, Ana.' So sorry.**

**So yeah! And for those of you who may care, no this IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY. I KNOW IT SEEMS LIKE IT AT THE END, BUT I'M NOT ****_THAT _****MEAN!.**

**Or maybe I am... *smirks evilly***

**less than three, **

**Ana **

Madame Zinnia vanished into the shadows, leaving Kori shaking. This prediction did not sound good, and Madame Zinnia's predictions always came true. Always.

There was only one explanation: Kori was going to die. And it sounded like candles were going to kill her.

Fantastic.

Raven remained quiet as they rode the Ferris wheel, but Beast Boy's mouth moved at a mile a minute.

"When exactly did you get to Gotham?"

Kori furrowed her brows, trying to remember. Two years and… let me think… six weeks ago, roughly. I left Titans Tower two years, three weeks and five days ago. I keep track."

"Why didn't you go back to Tameran?"

Kori paused. She had thought about that same question many times herself as to why she couldn't imagine returning to her home planet after the fall-out with her friends.

"I think… I think I was scared that my Gnorfka would send me back. He wouldn't approve of me running away from my problems; he would rather me face them and find resolution."

Beast Boy sighed. "It would've been better for us if you'd gone to Tameran, because then you might've come back." He paused. "I'm sorry, Star, for the part I played in your leaving. We were all just… confused."

Kori frowned. "Don't call me Star. I'm still Kori, Beast Boy. But thanks for the apology."

Raven cleared her throat. "Too bad it's coming from the wrong person."

The three remained silent for a while after that. There was nothing to say, but they were all thinking about the Boy Wonder. Raven could practically feel the hate emanating from Kori's thoughts, and she really couldn't blame her. She hated Robin then too.

The three stared out at the setting sun as it sunk beneath the horizon, bleeding into black and stars. Somewhere in the distance, someone was setting off fireworks, and Kori remembered the date. The 4th of July.

Her mind snapped to a memory of a similar Ferris Wheel ride, with fireworks and all, but that had been before everything went sour and when she still had naivety and joy in her laugh.

Sometimes life points out the pain of the past with small, flashing bitter moments, sharp as knives to the heart. Moments in which Kori has no choice but to remember the girl she was and the girl she was forced to become.

Sometimes life points out the pain of the past with joyful, sweet moments in which Kori has no choice but to remember the grief she had and the relief and joy she feels now.

Sometimes life points out the joys, along with the pain of the past with beautiful pulsing memories of happy times just before cruel endings. The bitterness and the sweetness side by side, times in which Kori has no choice to remember the joy she once felt for that face, and the coldness in her heart for it now. These bittersweet moments are the worst of them all.

This was one of those moments, and Kori felt like she was going to cry.

The next day was Sunday, and Kori held to her tradition. She woke at six, an hour she never usually woke at unless woken by force.

She dressed in clothes she might wear to a business meeting or the Wayne Enterprises Christmas party: showing less skin than usual, but stylish and classy.

She grabbed her car keys and she drove to St. Jude's Church.

One might think it was strange for Kori Anders to go to church every Sunday. Only Bruce knew about it, and Kori wanted it to stay that way. She didn't go to the mass. She walked in on her own, usually arriving at nine thirty, when the small church was empty and silent.

It's not that she was particularly religious or that she thought herself a sinner, though she certainly was. It was the patron of the Church.

St. Jude: the patron saint of lost causes. Kori went because she needed something to hope for.

St. Jude's was an hour and a half into the country, and a tiny one-room church. It was perfect.

The people didn't treat her like a model or a celebrity or a brat; they treated her like a person and grew accustomed to her face leaving through the oak doors just before the ten o'clock mass every Sunday. Father Harris was an acquaintance of Kori's now, and she liked to think that she could talk to him and ask him for help, but she could never ever ever tell a stranger about her real identity.

When she walked in, she sat in the back as usual, reveling in the complete silence. She softly, slowly mumbled a prayer. She always said around the same things.

_I don't know if you exist or even care about me, but I'd like to think that you do exist and you do care. If you're there, God, I want to apologize for everything that I've done. I'm not a good person anymore. I used to be. But I've changed a lot, though you probably know that because you apparently know everything. Now I want this prayer to go to St. Jude._

_St. Jude, I don't know who you were or how you tricked an entire religious community into believing that you had the blessing of God, but you're the only person I could ever talk to about this. I can't even talk to Bruce sometimes._

_I feel like I'm a lost cause. My whole life is a lost cause. I chose to stay in this planet as an unimportant nobody as opposed to princess of Tameran. I stayed because of them. Then, when I trusted them… trusted him, h-he broke me. I ran away again, just like I ditched my home planet full of people who more or less cared for me. Now of course I'm grateful for Bruce and Tim and Selena, but I keep feeling this sadness when I think of him and I want it to get the hell—oops, sorry. I want it to get the _heck _away. Are my efforts in vain? Is my effort to get over him a lost cause? _

What was she doing? She was sitting in a pew, talking to some dead person who did something miracle-like in the past, but was still dead. This was a waste of time.

She left the church feeling stupid for trying, just as she always did. But she knew that she would come back the next weekend and the weekend after that, because she still had that hope that one of those days, her seemingly futile prayers would be answered.

Kori drove with the top of her car down as she usually did when it was sunny and warm. But the ride was nothing near smooth. A half-hour into the trip, when she was in the middle of nowhere on a deserted stretch of road flanked by green pastures, she blew a tire and her car rattled to a halt on the side of the cracked asphalt.

She cursed. Her car issues were never-ending. She certainly knew how to change a car tire, but she had used her spare and hadn't bothered to get a new one. She had to make some calls.

Unfortunately, her coverage was spotty at best, and her battery was dying. She started with a car repairman.

She sat in her car for fifteen minutes, dying of heat, until the guy finally arrived. He was skeezy for sure, with stubble along his thin chin and neck and bushy eyebrows and yellow teeth, but he was all she could get at the moment. His embroidered mechanic's jumper read 'Stew' in swirling red cursive.

He checked out the car for ten minutes, checking under the hood, before whistling.

"You got more than just a flat tire here, tootsie." She cringed at the name but let it slide. "You got this engine repaired recently, didn't ya?"

Kori nodded.

"Well, your last mechanic seemed to have done a dandy job, except you've been runnin' on real low brake fluid. If you'd been drivin' for another, oh I'd guess another hour, you'd be out and lost 'o brakes. I'm gonna need to take this one back to my shop fifteen minutes down this way."

"What?" Kori raised her eyebrows. She heard what he was saying, but she didn't like it at all.

"I said I'm gonna need to take your car here back to my mechanic shop and refill your brake fluid. Unless of course, you want to lose your brakes and get into a major accident."

Kori groaned. "How am I supposed to get back to Gotham?"

Stew shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels, probably thinking he looked endearing as he smiled at her. It was not endearing. It was somewhat… creepy. "Well, you could ride with me, Miss Anders. I never had a supermodel in my truck."

Kori internally groaned, but smiled and pretended she wasn't deeply displeased. "Excuse me for a moment, if you please."

He nodded and Kori turned around, walking out of hearing distance.

The phone rang five times before it finally clicked on. "Hello?"

"Selena? It's Kori. Can you come pick me up? My car blew a tire and now it has to be taken to a mechanic for low brake fluid."

"Sure thing, honey. Where are you?"

"Errrr halfway to Bermington Village on Spookhollow Road."

"What are you doing all the way out there?"

Kori fumbled for an excuse. "I was… meeting a friend of Dani's! Dani's still there, though."

"Why don't you call her?"

"Her phone died."

"Alright. I'll be there in an hour."

Kori sighed a breath of relief and hung up. She turned back to Stew and smiled.

"Thanks so much for the offer, but it looks like I have a ride, so if you can take the car to the mechanic and call this number when it's done, that would be great."

Stew looked somewhat disappointed, but seemed to perk up when she handed him her number.

Kori sat on the side of the road for that half hour, panting in the heat, grateful that she'd had an umbrella in her back seat to block the sun.

After the half hour, though, a car pulled up and the driver was not Selena Kyle. It wasn't Bruce Wayne. It wasn't Raven. It wasn't Beast Boy. It wasn't even Cyborg.

No, it was Robin, because there really was no God.

He stepped out of the car in jeans and a white tee shirt, his hair spiked as usual, sunglasses on. He held out his hand to help her up, but she glowered at him and got up on her own.

"Of all the people that Selena could've sent in her place, she had to choose you."

Kori frowned at Robin until he squirmed. But then he seemed to gather his nerves and he frowned back at her.

"Hey, I didn't really want to drive a whole hour to pick up a spoiled supermodel."

Kori snorted. "Better than an arrogant wannabe-superhero."

Robin scoffed and got in the car, and Kori followed, getting into the passenger seat. The car was blissfully air conditioned, and she let the cool air dry the sweat on her forehead and arms. She closed her eyes at the pleasure of the air licking at the back of her neck, and she smiled a little bit. Robin noticed.

"It's just air conditioning."

"Yeah, after I've been sitting on the side of the road in the blazing sun for an hour."

"What were you doing all the way out here anyway?"

"I was with Dani."

Robin smirked. "Really? Because I saw Dani driving somewhere on the way here."

Kori blanched.

"How about the truth this time?"

Kori looked away. "Iwaaturch." She mumbled to the window so Robin couldn't hear her.

"What was that?"

Kori sighed. "Ientochur."

"I still can't hear you."

"I SAID I WENT TO CHURCH, GODDAMNIT."

Robin smirked again, and Kori's fingers itched to smack him across the head.

"Really? You don't strike me as the religious type."

"Give it three seconds and I'll strike you alright."

After that, the two fell silent.

Kori started fiddling with the radio stations and she bit her lip as she tried to navigate the knobs and buttons. Her old fashioned car was less high-tech, which was one of the reasons she really wanted it. Though she had grown accustomed to the English language and traditions, she still had trouble wrapping her mind around the technology.

Robin was staring at her, but she didn't stop fiddling with the radio when she spoke.

"You really ought to keep your eyes on the road. It's rude to stare."

Robin turned his head back to the road. "Sorry. You, uh, you just reminded me of someone I used to know."

This perked her interest. "Oh?"

Robin smiled slightly. "Yeah. An old friend of mine."

Kori kept calm, but decided to keep the conversation going. She wanted to know what he was going to say about her. "Who was this friend? What happened?"

"She was an old team member. But she left."

"Why?"

Robin looked at her suspiciously. "Why do you care?"

Kori shrugged. "Just curious, that's all. Sorry if it's a sore subject."

Robin sighed but continued. "We didn't treat her as well as we should've and she ran away. But that was two years ago."

Kori knew it was a risk, but she pressed on. "Where do you think she is?"

Robin paused. "I don't know. I just hope she's happier now."

Kori nodded, satisfied with the information. Robin looked at her. "You asked me questions, now it's my turn to ask some about you."

Kori frowned but nodded. "Sure, but I don't guarantee answers."

Robin paused, but started asking anyway. "How did Bruce find you?"

Kori shook her head. "I'm not answering that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's none of your damn business." Kori was indignant now, but Robin gratefully backed off and moved on.

"Okay, then why do you hate us?"

Kori raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Robin shrugged. "You seem to really not like the fact that we are here, and I saw the way you talked to Raven. So why do you hate us?"

"I'm like that to everyone."

Robin shrugged. "You're not like that to Tim. Speaking of which, tell me what you were talking to him about the other night." His eyes lingered on Kori's bandaged hands and she hid them under her lap.

"Also none of your business."

"I heard you mention powers."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, what are your powers?"

"I… make fire with my hands. But they don't work anymore. I tried to use them and I burned my hands." Kori's heartbeat sped as she tried to make the lie sound convincing.

"Oh. One more thing."

"No, you're out of questions. It's my turn again." Kori crossed her arms and he conceded. "This girl you're talking about, she seemed important to you."

"She was." He looked uncomfortable now.

"So why did you let her go?"

Robin sighed. "I don't want to answer that."

"You have to."

"What?! You got a skip last time!"

"Well, I'm repealing the skip rule."

"You can't just repeal the skip rule."

"Too late, I already did."

"You're an awful person."

"Tell me something I don't know."

Robin let out an exasperated yell. "Fine! I let her go because I thought I loved someone else! I was too scared to say anything to her and this other girl came around and threw herself at me, and it seemed like the easier thing to do than embarrass myself. And this girl, Kiki, told me things about her that I didn't find out were lies until she was gone. When the other girl left, we broke up."

Kori nodded. "I see. So you really cared about her?"

Robin nodded but his expression remained stony. "Now it's my turn. How did Bruce find you? Remember, you repealed the skip rule." He seemed very smug about trapping her into telling him.

Not for long. "New rule I instated like ten minutes ago: no repeats. Ever. New question."

Robin sighed. "Okay, who were you before Bruce found you? That's not the same question."

Kori frowned. "There is no before. And that's because I don't want there to be."

"That's not much of an answer."

"It's my only answer for now. Ask me again in a few years and maybe you'll get a different answer. Next question."

Robin sighed and looked at her like she was completely intolerable. "Okay, back to the conversation you were having with Tim."

"Remember, no repeats."

"It's not. Can you tell me what the word X'hal means? I heard you mention it briefly."

Kori was flustered but tried to hide it. "You heard wrong, I guess."

Robin noticed the way her eyes shifted to the left when she said this and knew that she was lying. Sometimes even the best liars can't cover up their tells as well as they'd like to.

He just nodded and let her pick up with the questions.

"If you saw that girl you were talking about today, just for a second, what would you tell her?" Kori knew she was pushing the limits, taking too much of an interest to be just anybody.

But Robin answered half-heartedly. "I would tell her that I was sorry, of course, and that I never should have said those things."

"And you think that would be enough?" Kori tried to force herself to shut up before she blew all her hard work out of the water, but her mouth and her brain weren't connecting.

"At this point, I don't think that anything would be enough."

Eventually, the car ride questions dwindled to favorite colors and best movie ever made. When they finally got back to Wayne Manor, it was already reaching quarter to one, and Kori had been gone for nearly half the day.

When they pulled into the garage, Kori had almost forgotten whom she was talking to, but being back at Wayne Manor reminded her. This was the enemy.

She left him with no goodbye and ran up to her room to sleep for an hour before a photo shoot.

Robin, on the other hand, went straight to Raven's room and knocked on the door.

Beast Boy and Raven were sitting on chairs as Robin paced in front of them. Cyborg entered soon after, with Kiki in tow, much to everyone's disappointment.

Robin addressed them as a team, voice purposeful and determined.

"Kori Anders is lying about something, and we are going to find out what it is."

Raven and Beast Boy looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes, nervousness painted plainly on Beast Boy's face (Raven knew how to actually hide her emotions), but both were thinking the exact same thing.

_This was not good. Not good at _all.

Luckily, Robin was too busy talking to, or at, Kiki (the only one who actually listened to him anymore) to notice. Unfortunately, Cyborg was distracted. When Robin left, telling them to get close to Kori by any means, Cyborg stayed behind.

"Alright spill, grass stain. I know you know somethin' about Kori."

Beast Boy's eyes widened into dinner plates and he stammered. "What? Pshh that-that's crazy talk, Cy! He haha HAHAHAHA he he mmph!" Raven cut off Beast Boy's unnecessary and highly disturbing laughter by using her magic to keep a sock nearly taped to his face. He tried to speak, but it came out in muffled grunts. He tried to rip it off his face, but Raven didn't let him.

Cyborg cocked an eyebrow at Raven.

Raven spoke evenly with Cyborg, going against her promise to Kori. "Cyborg, do you recognize anything familiar about Kori?"

Cyborg rested his chin on the palm of his hand and thought. "I haven't really seen her all that much. Why?"

Raven looked into his eyes and tried to put meeting into her stare. "She doesn't remind you of _anyone?" _

"_No, _Raven, she doesn't. Could you just tell me, already?"

"Come on, you can ask her yourself. I can't tell you."

Beast Boy dragged Cyborg by the arm out of the room, frowning at the clock on Raven's desk. "Ugh, can you believe Robin kept us in here for an hour? I thought I was going to die! You know when he talks for _so long _all the words start blending together, ya know man? And then, like, your eyes start to water and your life like flashes in front of your eyes? OH, then you start hallucinating and suddenly Robin is a walrus with glasses and he has a British accent and you're just like 'Walruses don't talk'. Is it walruses? Or is it walri? Y'know I _hate _when people _won't stop talking!"_

Raven smacked her forehead, and a red imprint of her hand remained for a few moments. In her monotone, with a slight edge, she grumbled, "Hypocrisy at its finest."

Then they were in Kori's room. Only, Kori was running around the room, her hair in a high ponytail and a bag slung over her shoulders. She was throwing her wallet and her cell phone into her purse and mumbling about being late when Beast Boy intervened.

"Kori is it walruses or walri?"

Kori nearly jumped out of her skin. "Excuse me?"

Raven smacked her head again. "What Beast Boy was trying to say is that Cyborg here is wondering what it is that we know about you that he doesn't. We told him that we couldn't tell him."

Kori skidded to a halt, then, conflicted, looked at her watch and back at them again. "Ugh, get in civilian clothes quick. You can come with me to my photo shoot and I'll tell you in the car. I'm waiting in the garage!"

Kori ran down the stairs at full speed. "Bruce! I need to borrow a car! Mine's at the shop again!"

Bruce looked up from the paper he was reading. "What's wrong with it?"

Kori shifted on her feet, itching to get to her shoot on time. "Low brake fluid."

Bruce put down his paper. "What? You just got it back from the shop!"

Kori rolled her eyes. "They didn't refill the brake fluid. Now come on, I need a car!"

Bruce leaned forward. "Kori, if the mechanics working at the shop didn't check and refill your brake fluid, they are committing a crime. Gotham passed a law six or seven years ago. Too many car accidents to ignore it. And I spoke with Marty when I picked it up. He said he'd done a thorough examination to check everything out; make sure you wouldn't have any problems. He wouldn't have missed low brake fluid."

Kori stared at Bruce, her eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

"Kori, brake fluid doesn't just _run out._"

Kori grumbled. "Great. Just what I need. To make this entire ordeal worse, someone's out to get me."

Bruce sighed, a small smile on his lips at her calmness over the fact that someone was trying to get her killed. "Business as usual."

At this time, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy descended the stairs and Kori rushed out of the room and to the key box, grabbing the keys for the Wayne Range Rover.

"Let's go! I have to be there on time!"

The four rushed into the car, and Kori took the wheel. Raven placed a hand on her shoulder, though, and shook her head, telling her it wasn't a good idea, considering the bomb she was about to drop on Cyborg. Raven and Kori switched seats, Kori climbing over to the back, while Beast Boy slid calmly into the passenger side.

Kori waited until the Range Rover had hit the highway before she turned to Cyborg.

"I'm Starfire. I ran away. I came here. Bruce found me. Now I'm a model. NO DON'T CRY, CYBORG."

"FOR GOD'S SAKE, KORI WAY TO BE SUBTLE!"

"It felt like the right thing to say!"

"YOU THOUGHT _THAT _WAS THE RIGHT THING TO SAY? _Oh, hey Cyborg, it's just me, your long lost team member who's actually been right under your nose this entire time. Now can you please smile while I DROP THIS BOMB ON YOU?"_

_"_It felt right! I'm late!"

A screaming match broke out between Kori and Beast Boy while Cyborg sobbed in the background, until Kori's monkey moved into Casa Raven's Brain and started up his tap dance. She was going to kill that monkey and burn its entrails in a sacrificial flame.

"QUIET!" Everyone dropped into silence. "Hi." _Oh, how history repeats itself… _"Kori, look at your hands."

Kori's hands, bandages and all, were alive with green energy and she rolled down a window, sticking them out. When she pulled them back in, they were smoking and scorch marks lined the bandages.

"What's that?" Beast Boy looked perplexed at Kori's inabilities.

Kori grumbled and coughed. "I lost my powers a while back. Wasn't happy enough. Tameranean rule number uno: if you stop using your powers for long enough, they don't come back until you go look for them. And even then it takes serious rehab to fully regain it all."

Beast Boy looked away, feeling guilty for his part in making her lose her powers. "Oh. I didn't know that."

Cyborg perked up. "God, Star… is it really you? Y-You look so… different…"

Kori sighed. "I'm sorry to drop it like that on you Cyborg… I just hate having to explain it all…"

"It's okay."

"No, it's not."

"Starfire, it's _really _okay."

To say that the rest of the ride was… interesting would be an understatement. Perhaps there might've been a better way for Kori to, you know, drop a life changing revelation on Cyborg than just blurting it out, but Kori was feeling rushed, and she didn't want to have to go through the entire explanation like she did for Raven and Beast Boy, so she did the… abridged version? Yeah, that's what it was. The abridged version.

Nevertheless, Cyborg had questions, which she grudgingly answered, and Raven and Beast Boy chipped in too, but Cyborg really just wanted to hear it from Starfire herself.

When they arrived at the shoot, Kori ran in and straight into a fitting, with no time to spare.

Then it was hair and makeup (Ughhhh) and then she was ushered out to the site of the shoot, which was a grassy, dusty field. And someone was waiting for her.

"You have got to be kidding me. What is _she _doing here?" Sami Magis's tinkling voice was distorted into one full of annoyance and a little bit of rage.

Kori sighed. Maybe she had an idea who lowered her brake fluid.

On second thought, Sami would probably go for something classier, like a masked assassin or a really really REALLY big bomb. Probably the bomb.

"Sami, towards the middle of the day, I truly believed that there was no God. But now, seeing you here, at least I know that there is a Satan."

Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven, were just now walking onto the field, having scoured everywhere looking for Kori after she'd darted from the car.

Sami's bleach blonde hair blew in the wind as the girls stared each other down. You see, Kori had nothing against Sami. In fact, they were really good friends when Kori first moved to Gotham. But, well, Dani had had, well let's call it a _thing, _with Sami's (hehe) now ex-boyfriend Derek Johnston over Spring Break 2k11. And then over the summer of that same year. And then there was a brief ski chalet thing Christmas break. And no one can forget Prom night thing 2k12. Probably because the pictures were all over the Internet. So Sami wasn't all that fond of Dani and Kori at the moment. Dani for obvious reasons, but Kori because she knew and didn't squeal, so she was guilty of aiding and abetting.

Kori tried to apologize.

It didn't end well.

There were kitchen knives involved. Luckily, Kori was super great at RUNNING LIKE HELL.

"Can someone please escort her off the premises?" Sami crossed her arms and glared. Kori sighed and tried to apologize with her eyes. She could practically see the kitchen knives coming out.

Oh, Satan have mercy, for there is no God.

"Oh, girls, you didn't know? This is a double model shoot!" Kori's manager, ditzy Lina Partuchese, was smiling and clapping her hands like wasn't this just _the greatest thing?_ Kori cringed. It was a homicide waiting to happen

It was a shoot for Appleseed, Avarice Magazine's biggest rival. Of course they would copy Avarice's idea. And with one of the same models, no less.

Sami frowned. "I'm not working with her."

The photographer looked up. "Sweetheart, you signed a contract to be the face of Appleseed. You have to do it…"

Sami did a primal shriek grunt kind of thing that did _not _make her face look pretty, but she stepped into the shooting zone and let the photographer position her anyways. Kori followed.

She had to admit, she loved the clothes. The puffy tweed salmon high-waisted shorts, matching cream ones for Sami, were adorable. Kori wore an electric blue bandeau bra with a cream no-sleeved, collared, opaque blouse, all the buttons undone so it was like a sweater with sleeves. Wooden and cloth bracelets lined her wrists and her black hair was wind-blown, but away from her face thanks to an electric blue bandana. Sami wore a blue and red floral bandeau top, tucked into her shorts, and her hair was tied into a high ponytail, bumped snooki-style in the front but pressed down by a thick Aztec-patterned cloth headband. The girls looked amazing.

When the shoot was completed, Kori tried to say goodbye, but Sami fled faster than a bullet from a gun. Kori growled. She had tried apologizing. She had tried being nice. Kori wasn't a _nice _person. She didn't do _nice _things for people she didn't know or like, save for the people she rescued as Catgirl.

She was officially giving up.

Kori met Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy at the car and let Raven drive once again.

Soon, her ex-friends had put her in a good enough mood again. They began cracking jokes as Raven's monkey screeched in her ears. She stopped listening after one too many 'why did the chicken cross the road's.

"Two florbarks walk into a sorlam, and the third one…" Kori stopped to catch her breath, trying to hold in laughter. "The third one curacked!"

She bust into a fit of uncontrollable giggles and waited for her friends to join in, but they never did. Beast Boy and Cyborg were scratching their heads in confusion.

"Uhhh… good one…Kori…" Beast Boy cleared his throat and the silence became somewhat awkward.

Kori had forgotten that her friends didn't speak or understand Tameranean.

Well, some things never change.

An hour later, Bruce was gone, probably on some errand or another, and Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven had gone for pizza, as the dinner hour was quickly approaching. She didn't really feel like joining after that awkward ride home.

Kori went to the fridge and grabbed an apple, placing her purse on the marble countertop. A note on the fridge said that Selena had to go to a meeting with her manager, and she'd dropped Kiki off at the mall.

Kori sighed and collapsed in a chair, turning on the TV to the news. Blah blah blah, basketball championship game blah blah blah politics blah blah blah taxes. Then breaking news.

There was a bank hold up at Gotham First Bank on Fifth and Main. Kori thought. She had never done anything more than a patrol on her own, and Bruce had forbidden her from going into big missions without back-up until he was sure she was ready.

What Bruce didn't have to know wouldn't kill him.

Kori sped down the streets, which were painted orange as the sun started to set, perched on her motorcycle, dressed in her cat suit and mask. The wind tugged at her hair as it flew behind her, blending in with the night. She tried to get close to the bank, but barricades were up and people were crowded all around it. Never mind the tens of guns pointed at the windows and the S.W.A.T. teams in position.

She was going for stealth; the less she was seen, the less the chance she'd be caught on camera and Bruce would find out.

Frustrated, she drove around to the building directly behind the bank (a twenty-four-hour convenience store with apartments above) and parked her motorcycle. Hopping off, she ran towards the fire escape of the convenience store and pulled herself up, the rusty ladder clanging and jostling as she sprinted to the top of the building.

She didn't notice the shadow following behind her soundlessly.

As her feet crunched on the gravel-covered apartment building roof, she took a running start and threw herself off the side of the building, landing with grace on the tar roof of the bank. They didn't call her Catgirl for nothing.

Across the street, there was a S.W.A.T guy staring at her, and she signaled him to stand down. Luckily he recognized her, or she'd be blown to smithereens.

Kori crouched next to a skylight into the manager's office of the bank. Using a laser, she burned a hole large enough for her to slide through. She dropped down onto the desk, a pencil holder falling on its side and nearly falling off the table, but she grabbed it before it could get that far. The bad guys couldn't know she was there until she wanted them to.

As she closed the door softly behind her, another figure dropped down onto the desk.

The pencil holder didn't fall over for them.

Kori surveyed the bank from her position in the ducts. Cliché, of course, but not nearly as roomy as Kim Possible would have you believe. No, heating ducts were not comfortable, not stable, and way too warm for Kori's taste. She stared through the grate and pulled out her weapon of choice: dart gun. Don't worry; it wasn't lethal. It just knocked the baddies out long enough for her to save the day and to hand over the reigns to the police. And the criminals woke up with one nasty headache, but the point was that no one died.

Kori aimed it at the closest guy she could see, knowing that the moment the dart was fired and the guy fell unconscious, her presence would no longer be a secret. She would have to act quickly while she still had the element of surprise.

She pulled the trigger, and quicker than a flash of lightning, burst through the grate and started taking on the bank robbers. It was no one significant, but they were packing heat, and burly as livestock to boot. She tried to go for the scrawny ones first. She had counted six guys: a pretty big crew for a simple bank hold up. She knocked down the first two with ease, but the other two weren't so weak. Luckily for her, the first two had been the only ones with guns, probably because they were so scrawny. They had to protect themselves somehow.

Villain logic: give the easiest targets the guns. That way, we won't have any to use when our scrawny friends are the first to go.

God, sometimes she pitied these poor criminals, with IQ's equivalent to their ages… what a shame.

Unfortunately, these guys were strong, and she had four on her at a time. She kicked the guns out of their reach, but in doing so, she was distracted enough for one of them to land a hit on her. The guy's punch landed deep in her ribs.

Kori coughed and wheezed. "Didn't your momma ever tell you to never hit a girl?"

Kori went back at it with a fury, though, ignoring the bruise beginning to spread across her ribs.

She got another guy down by keeping in a neck hold long enough for him to pass out, using him as a sort of human shield as she clung to his back. But once he passed out, the dead weight dragged her down and she leapt away so she wouldn't get crushed.

The three other guys started to punch harder, now that they had lost the extra muscle. The next hit got her square on the shoulder, and tingles ran down her arm to her fingertips, followed by a pinching pain. She gnashed her teeth and kept going.

Meanwhile, another figure dropped down from the grate, unnoticed by Kori and her assailants. Though one person did notice him.

By now, it was down to Kori and two beef boys, after Kori, holding the dart in her hand, had managed to land a tranquilizer from her gun in the neck of one of them.

Their attempts were getting sloppy now, and they were beginning to panic. As they tripped over hostages, who were hugging the walls and watching with panic and prayers, one thug managed to punch Kori right across the face, and blood trickled from her lip as her ears rang.

She punched back, and then there was only one guy left to take down.

No one messed with her face and got away with it.

The shadow figure fought against an assailant, dodging the hilt of a nose of a gun as it flew through the air with abandon. Once the assailant realized that he wouldn't be able to get a shot on the figure, he turned his gun to the girl in the cat suit, winning against the last of his thugs. She was whom he'd come for anyway.

As the figure realized what the bank robber ringleader was going to do, he tried to shove the gun out of range of the fighting girl, but he was too late.

A shot rang out.

Kori was winning. She could feel the man's fear start to kick in. He was realizing that he wasn't going to win. Just when she was going to knock him out, she heard a bang and a ringing in her ears.

But she forgot the noise when the pain bloomed in her right shoulder. It was like fire, spreading to her fingertips and trickling down her back. Oh wait, that wasn't fire, it was her blood.

She stumbled onto the ground, liquid pain dripping onto the white bank tiles, and she was sure the guy was going to smash her skull in, when a gloved hand punched him in the face with enough to knock him out. She was lying on the ground, her shoulder screaming.

The guy who'd been following her leaned over her. Other, miscellaneous faces began to swirl over her face, the faces of concerned hostages. She was certain it was all going to be over very soon for her.

But his face stood out, eyes filled with worry.

It was one of the first friendly faces she'd seen when she'd come to earth. She'd looked at that face with adoration too many times to count. She'd kissed that face. She'd cried over that face. She'd hated that face.

And that face was one of the last things she saw as her eyes fluttered closed and all the faces swirled together into black, except for his.

As he leaned over her, she whispered something, just before she fell into the blackness.

"Speedy…"

Just kidding it was Robin.

**A/N: I felt like there needed to be some comic relief, since that was so... depressing... Besides, Speedy is nowhere near Gotham City. In my mind, he's chasing after Cheshire. I have to say, I really love both the Speedy x Cheshire pairing and the Kid Flash x Jinx pairing because they are so tooth-achingly cute. I just can't help it that I think that Kid Flash on the Lightspeed episode was maybe the hottest of all the Teen Titans, Aqualad included. His voice makes me swoon and his eyes are SO BLUE. I CAN'T TAKE IT.**

**Oh my god I am falling in love with a cartoon character. I've really hit rock bottom.**

**Anyway, I'm not telling you if she's dead or not, partly because I'm evil and partly because I hate ruining my own stories... **

**I will try to update ASAP but you know how spotty I am with updates... I'm shooting for next weekend.**

**Less than three 3**

**Ana**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry it's so late, but I didn't get a whole lot of feedback last time, so I figured I could take a little longer to make sure this chapter was perfect so that it's the best it can be for you guys. Really, the feedback for this story is just overwhelming and I hope you don't mind that I took a little longer with this chapter. The thing is, this is a really pivotal time in both the story and Kori and Robin and even Bruce's character development, so I had to be sure that I got each voice down as well as I could before I could release. I hope you all enjoyed the super-long chapter I updated last time; even though I didn't get a lot of reviews, I am still ecstatic that people are taking an interest in this story at all. I'm thinking next chapter I might do another contest, since it's been a while and I think that they're fun for both you, the readers, and me, to see what people have to say and interact with the people who read this. **

**Also, anyone who is following my other stories Spring Break (with Spies), Nico Meets His Match, and the Harry Potter story (which no one reads because the HP fandom is so ridiculously gargantuan; I'm okay with it because I'm not sure how I feel about that story yet), well they are unofficially on HIATUS. They are unofficially on hiatus because I don't really know where I'm going with them yet, and I am trying to focus on one story at a time, which will result with more stories getting completed. However, if I come up with an idea I really like for one of them, I may update once or twice while this story is still active.**

**Sorry for such a long Author's Note!**

**-Ana**

Kori was ushered into half-consciousness with the worst migraine she'd ever had in her life. Like… ever. This wasn't the monkey; no, this was just a ringing pain that bounced around in her ears and the pressure in her ears made her want to scream.

After a few seconds, she realized that she couldn't move. It wasn't that she was restricted; it was more like she couldn't remember how to operate her muscles. It took her awhile to locate her fingers and she twitched them a bit until she was sure they were working, though they were numb and tingly at the same time. She heard a rustle between the ringing in her ears and she tried to find her eyes.

She searched through all her muscles until she finally located her eyelids, and she fluttered them lightly. With a _whoosh _and the pop of her ears, her vision bounced and slid into focus, not that she could see anything other than white sterile brightness.

But then other things came into focus, like the crowd of faces hovering at the edges of the light. She focused in on one.

"Bruce?" Her voice was hoarse from disuse and she tried to remember where she was before this… this brightness. Was there anything before the brightness?

Was she dead?

Nope, Bruce wouldn't be near seething at her if she was in heaven. A new thought occurred to her. Maybe she was in the fiery pits of hell.

Yeah, that was probably more likely.

Then the memories came rushing back.

The bank, the fight—the one she was _winning. _What the hell happened to turn the tables the way they did? One second, she was just about finished taking out the last of the baddies and suddenly there was a bursting pain in her shoulder.

The pain came back as if it had been summoned by the memory of it. But this wasn't as bad: it was more like a throbbing bruise, the worst she'd ever get, radiating heat around her shoulder. She tried to move her hand and was rewarded with a knife of pain shooting down her spine and her arm, right to her wrist.

"I wouldn't try that again, if I were you." Kori flitted her eyes to Bruce.

He looked pissed. Like Clark Kent super-pissed.

"What happened?"

Raven looked on from a chair and came into view as Kori used her other arm to push herself into a sitting position. "You got shot. You almost died."

Bruce crossed his arms and continued to glare. "You sure did. If it wasn't for Tim, you'd be dead."

Kori shook her head. It wasn't Tim who had saved her, was it? She furrowed her eyebrows and her eyes turned to Tim. She was going to say something about it being Robin who'd saved her from the bank, but Tim ever-so-slightly shook his head, a gesture gone unnoticed by everyone but Kori. Even Raven didn't appear to notice.

Now that her mouth was open, she had to say something. "Well… this is going to put a damper on my birthday. You think I'll be healed in two weeks?"

Bruce did not appreciate this comment. "Do you know how stupid it was of you to go out with no backup? And _knowing _that someone was after you in particular as well!"

"Bruce, calm down. It's not like they could have possibly known who I was… could they?"

Bruce threw his arms up. "Well, we might've known, if you had brought some backup to begin with instead of letting Tim save your ass when you could have saved your own!"

Bruce stomped out of the small room and Raven followed him, leaving Tim to talk to Kori.

Kori now noticed her surroundings: she was in what looked like a hospital room, but Bruce wouldn't take her to a hospital. And she was wearing a hospital gown as well…

"Where are we?"

Tim ran a hand through his hair, looking worried sick. He started at her words, then cleared his head and answered. "Bruce has a friend who has a private office. Your injuries were too substantial for Alfred to handle them back at the manor."

Kori nodded, then paused before jumping into her next question. "Why are you covering for him?"

Tim paused for a moment, then sighed. He collapsed in a chair and ran his hand through his black hair once again.

"I saw the bank robbery on the news while I was at John O'Donnel's for dinner with some friends. I was paying particular close attention to the live feed when I saw your bike whirl around a corner and out of sight just before you were caught on tape. Seconds later, just as the video panned out of that line of view, I saw another bike. I assumed it was Selena." He paused. "Imagine my surprise when Selena calls me and tells me to make sure to be home before eleven, because she's at the Tea House with her manager until late and she probably won't be able to see me later."

"And?"

"Ten minutes later, I got a call from Robin saying you'd been shot and he needed a ride because he couldn't fit you both on his bike while you were unconscious. So I left early, and then, when I got there in a taxi, he asked to change clothes with me and begged me to pretend I was the one who found you. He was worried sick, you know."

Kori grumbled. "Whatever… keep going."

"So he left on his motorcycle and I called Bruce and told him it was an emergency… it's amazing you didn't die, Kori. You lost a _lot _of blood."

Kori rolled her eyes. "I'm Tameranean…we heal well."

Tim didn't seem to get the joke, and he just looked more worried than usual. Kori opened her good arm towards him and tried to look sorry.

"I'm sorry, Timmy. I am really _truly _sorry. I'll try to be more careful."

Tim wrapped Kori in a gentle hug, being careful around her bandaged shoulder. Kori pulled away first, and turned to the small window in her room. Sunshine tickled the glass pane and fell in stripes on her bed, warming her legs beneath the blankets.

"What time is it?" Kori tried to reach her phone, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"It's noon. On Tuesday."

Kori stopped and turned to Tim with wide eyes. "_Tuesday? _That can't be right, I went to the bank on Sunday night…"

"Well, it's Tuesday. I'm guessing your blackout might've been exhaustion. Bruce thinks so too. He thinks it has something to do with the return of your powers."

"You told him?"

"He was worried." Tim leaned his arms on the windowsill and stared out at the sunny day, and a Tim-sized shadow fell on Kori's blankets, cooling them.

"What should I do? If I keep going like this, not being able to control them, I'm just going to get more exhausted…"

Tim turned to Kori and crossed his arms, a blank expression painted on his face. "That's what Bruce said. He also said you should start practicing. Not the way you did on Friday night, but doing a little bit each day. You said that it would take serious work to get them back fully and that you didn't want to have to do that when you first lost them, but now Bruce thinks it's your only option."

Kori nodded, not looking forward to it. She remembered the burns on her hands; hell, they were still there. But if Bruce thought it was a good idea…

Tim sat on the edge of the bed and swung his legs, finally looking his age. He had been acting too much like Bruce for the past week, and it bothered Kori. It was hard to remember that he was still only fourteen.

"Promise me, Kori, that you'll at least thank Robin for saving you. It was a brave thing he did for you… maybe you should just consider…"

"Tim, I'm not telling Robin. And that's final. I know you think he's changed, but I know him and I know what he did. Why do you think I lost my powers, Tim? It was _his _fault. So please, just… drop it."

Tim sighed. "Whatever, Kori. Do what you want. But if you keep lying to yourself, you're going to end up completely alone. I'll see you later."

Tim slammed the door on his way out, and Kori sat stunned for ten minutes.

That was their first fight ever. She hated it.

Kori fell asleep rather quickly after Tim left, but woke up to another presence in her room, another Robin.

"What do you want?"

Robin shifted in the plastic chair he was resting in. "I wanted to see if you were okay. Sorry for asking."

Kori remembered what Tim said. She felt really awful about fighting with him over something so trivial. She owed him this much.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really not having a very good week. You know, getting shot and all."

Robin nodded. "It's fine."

Kori cleared her throat, trying to dissolve the awkward tension in the room. "I wanted to say thank you, you know, for… saving me… Bruce says I'd probably be dead if you hadn't found me."

"Bruce doesn't know it was me who found you." Robin raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no, but he knows that _a _Robin saved me. So, why don't you want him to know it was you?"

Robin shrugged. "You don't think it would seem a little suspicious that I was following you? It made more sense for Tim to be there than me."

"Why _were _you following me?"

Robin shrugged. "Just a hunch. But, since I saved your life, you owe me an answer to the question I had for you.

Kori raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"How did Bruce find you?"

Kori let out an exasperated groan. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because you remind me of a girl I knew."

Kori paused. "The one that got away?"

Robin shook his head. "No, her sister. You act just like her."

Kori blanched. No, no, no, no, no, she did _not _act like her sister. Blackfire was… malicious and sarcastic and… she wasn't turning into Blackfire… was she?

She was _not _Blackfire, nor would she ever. She was a good person, and the fact that he even brought it up! NO, _he's _wrong.

_I will not let him do this to me. I'm better than this. Calm down Kori. CALM DOWN._

"_Get out, right now."_

"Answer the question, and I will."

Kori felt her hands begin to heat up. She could _not _let her powers come out in front of Robin. It would be a dead give away. She tried to calm down, but she couldn't get her hands to cool. She sat on them quickly, just as they were beginning to turn green. She could feel them burning through the thin hospital paper gown, and her eyes began to heat up as well. They were melting her contacts.

_Shit. _"I SAID _GET OUT!" _Robin's eyes widened, but he left quickly, and Kori sprung out of her bed and barreled into the bathroom. She ran her bandaged hands under the cool water and peeled the gooey, burned remains of her gown off of her uninjured ass. She took out her contacts, which were burned black and melting around the edges, and her green eyes were exposed. She changed into a new hospital gown, and in doing so, her shoulder burned and throbbed until she was nauseous.

Nothing in her stomach, she dry heaved into the sink and collapsed on the bathroom floor, shivers wracking through her body and making her shoulder burn. After a while she began to sob, but with no tears. Why was she flying off the handle like this? She was better than this, and she was foolish to let him get to her.

Would it be so bad to turn into Blackfire?

_Yes_

But she wanted to believe that it wasn't the worst thing that could happen. Blackfire was strong, and she didn't let anyone treat her like dirt. She may have only thought about herself, but she never risked her own life for a stupid reason.

_You don't want to be like her. She only hurts. She's messed up._

_So am I._

_But you aren't alone._

_That's a lie._

Kori was hallucinating as she dry sobbed into the tile floor of the bathroom. She was arguing with herself. She had officially hit rock bottom.

That was where Bruce found her thirty minutes later. He helped her up and back into her bed, still sobbing, partly because of her shoulder and partly because what Robin said was true. She was acting like Blackfire.

"Kori, what happened?"

Kori shook her head and turned into her pillow, letting the first tears fall into her hair. She was so _done _with this life. She wished she'd never come to Earth.

Bruce picked up her melted and scorched contacts from the edge of the sink and threw them in the trash. He had grown to care for Kori like she was his own daughter, even though he'd only known her for two years. She and Tim and Selena were everything to him, now; they were his new family. Dick had left, and Kori and Tim had taken up that slot, and they never left.

He had to have a chat with Dick.

Bruce shut the door quietly behind him as Kori sobbed, not wanting to see this. Kori was always so strong; it was a mistake to invite Dick and his friends back, even if Kori had reconciled with most of them.

He wouldn't ask him to leave, but once Kori's party was over, he would. Kori would want Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy at the party. He knew the she had told them about who she was. It was so obvious, since their attitude towards her changed so dramatically. But Richard was pushing it.

Richard may still be important to him, but he was messing with his family.

Robin was sitting in his room at Wayne Manor, sifting through the online articles about Korina Anders on a laptop he borrowed from Bruce. She was everywhere, as a model, but there was nothing about her past before being a model… it bothered him.

There was a knock on his door as Bruce stepped in. Robin slammed the top of the laptop down, but Bruce had caught a look at the articles on Kori.

"You have to stop bothering Kori about her past."

Robin crossed his arms. "Can you tell me why?"

Bruce did not want to be questioned about this. "Listen, Robin. We all have bad pasts. There's no hero out there who doesn't have one. Kori's is particularly bad. You asking about it, dredging it up; you're killing her, making her think about it."

Bruce knew Robin wouldn't stop unless he made it look like Kori's past was particularly traumatic. Of course, that was true. Before she came to the Titans, she had been sold to the Gordanians by her sister to bring peace to Tameran, and taken to the Citadel. She'd managed an escape, after having been malnourished and beaten and god knows what else. The ironic thing was that even after she escaped, after the Citadel came looking for her, the more painful memories were from her time with the Titans.

"Listen, Bruce. I haven't been your ward for a long time. You can't give me orders, though I will still take your opinion into consideration. I'll give you a deal. If you can tell me just a little bit about who Kori was, I'll drop it. But she's hiding something, Bruce, and it makes me worry that she'll be a threat to my team."

Bruce scoffed. "She's hardly a threat to your team. She just wants to be left alone, so please, leave her alone. You know I don't say please very often, Dick."

Robin crossed his arms, stubborn as always. "I know. But this isn't about you, Bruce. Unless someone fills me in, I'm not giving up."

"You never have."

Robin scoffed. "I learned from the best."

Bruce sighed. He had to tell him something, or Richard would just keep interrogating Kori. He wasn't sure how much more of it Kori could handle. Sure, he was mad at her for doing something so stupid and getting herself shot, but Kori could handle physical pain. She could handle herself when it came to fighting and injury, but when it came to emotional stress, she didn't take it well.

Bruce figured he would go with Kori's first past, before she came to Earth. He might as well, since he wouldn't be lying but he wouldn't have to mention anything about the Titans.

"She's not from around here. In her country… she was a… slave! She was a slave and… ahem, she worked for a very powerful family. They didn't treat her very well and she ran away. Unfortunately," Bruce began to catch his stride, spinning a sad sad tale that would make Robin cry himself to sleep, "the family punished her by murdering her entire family, even her pet kitten, Cornelius Poochky. She returned to the family to negotiate her family's release (she'd been told her family was being held hostage and wouldn't be released until her return) only to be captured once again and sold to this band of gypsies! So, then the band of gypsies made her become a circus performer, you know how it is better than anyone, Dick, and these scientists saw her finesse and they wanted to experiment on her! Gasp! So they bought her from the gypsies and did these experiments on her that gave her certain powers but they went away after time. She escaped the scientists and made it to me somehow, completely alone in the universe." Bruce breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Robin fall for Kori's probably too traumatic to be plausible backstory.

Robin nodded and looked away. "I'm sorry, Bruce. I didn't…"

Bruce crossed his arms, trying to put as much sass as possible into his next words for dramatic effect. "Save it, Richard. It isn't me you should be apologizing to."

Robin nodded and Bruce stepped out of the room, glad he had gotten Robin off of Kori's trail. He wouldn't bother her again unless he wanted to apologize. He had dramatized the story as much as he could. It was a fake story, and Kori was no damsel in distress. But she had to look like one, or Robin wouldn't ever give up.

Robin knocked softly on the door to Kori's room. She'd returned home from the Doctor's office and was resting in her room, her shoulder slowly healing.

Robin opened the door to see Kori supporting herself on her vanity, staring at her bloodshot eyes in the mirror. Robin walked in and came up behind her so she could see him in the mirror. Her black hair was down, wafting around her waist, and her skin was paler than could possibly have been healthy.

Robin took a deep breath and looked Kori in the eyes through the mirror. "I'm sorry."

Kori didn't move a muscle. "So am I."

Now Kori turned away and went to sit on her couch, her legs tucked underneath her. Though Kori looked wary about it, Robin sat next to her, and his eyes grazed her shoulder.

It was healing faster than possible. The white bandage had been replaced with a large, skin colored adhesive, and it wasn't bleeding.

"Your shoulder…"

Kori smirked. "Looks like I'll be ready for my party after all. Now, if you don't mind, I really need sleep right now."

Robin nodded, still confused about all the different lives Kori had led. Slave to runaway to orphan to slave again to circus performer to science experiment to million dollar supermodel.

Dismayed, Robin left as quietly as he could, and returned to his own room feeling awful and guilty.

The minute Robin left, Kori returned to what she'd been doing before she'd been interrupted. Ignoring the pain that she knew was there, she forced energy to circle her hands and cast a green shadow on her face.

For the first time, she realized that the initial pain that was supposed to accompany the light had vanished, and all she felt was warmth. But the minute she extinguished the meager heat, the pain returned.

Progress was progress, she decided.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well, I didn't take as long this time! I know this makes up for nothing BUT STILL. I'M PROUD OF ME. AND ME KNOW GOOD GRAMMARS. Okay, now I don't usually do this, but I got some really good reviews this past chapter, some of which posed some good questions that I want to answer. So I'm not answering all of them, but I am doing a review commentary. So let's begin.**

**a nalu fangirl: FINALLY SOMEONE GETS ME. WE NEED TO HAVE A CHAT TALK ABOUT HOW KID FLASH'S VOICE MAKES ME ROLL ON THE GROUND FANGIRLING.**

**Val: I know I am totally ruining Batman, but here's my reasoning: I never read the Batman comics. GASP. I know, I know, it's on my list to read the originals. I'm getting all this stuff about Selena from the last movie, which I though was okay, and what I've seen in other people's fanfiction. I know that makes me a dirty rotten scoundrel, but I've accepted it. What I mean to say is that because I only know the basic backstory of the Batman, I feel that I wouldn't be able to do him justice no matter how I tried. So, I figured, if I was going to fail at something, better do it right! So I did my best to fail so completely that people would laugh and forget that I totally BUTCHERED the portrayal of Bruce Wayne. I am so sorry, but I think this was the better route to take when writing for Bruce.**

**I 3 Teen Titans: Okay, now I'm going to try and explain. So, we know that not everybody believes in God right? There are people in the real world who are atheists and are content in believing that there's no life after death, and we can't do anything about that other than believing what we want to believe and hoping that we find people who agree with us. So, I think that this is the only instance when you can treat realistic fiction like real life. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME I'M SAYING YOU COULD PROBABLY DO THIS. Think about it. In real life, there are people that don't believe in God, and in Kori's world, there are people who don't believe in God. She just happens to be one of them. Are you offended if someone tells you in real life that they are an atheist? If you are, you should probably try to have an open mind, but if you aren't offended then, then you shouldn't be offended now. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just explaining why I made Kori not believe in a higher being. Considering all that's happened to her, I think she has a right, and I should think that no one would be offended because there are people in the real world who have that same opinion and they aren't offended by them. Sorry! I don't mean to rant, I just wanted to explain, and you have every right to not agree with me.**

**Maddielove95: Read the first review commentary that I made! I felt so bad butchering the depth of Bruce, I felt like I had to make it funny or everyone would hate me forever! I'm so glad that someone doesn't!**

**rashellynn: Thanks so much! To be honest, I had no idea where the plot was going until around chapter 3... hehe... shhh don't tell.**

**I'mOnlyHumanDude: I didn't come up with that name on my own! Shhhh don't tell, but it was my best friend's idea. She doesn't know that I put it in here, nor does she know that I write fanfiction... hehe. I'm a closet nerd. So her idea is that when she is in college, she is going to get a cat and name him Cornelius Poochky, and her brother, who is two years older and a junior in highschool (I can't believe they agreed on this) is going to get a cat and name him Nicolai Poochki, and together, they will be the Poochki brothers. It was too good an idea to ignore. I had to share it with the world.**

**So, without further ado, here is chapter 7!**

**-Ana**

Kori practiced with her powers every day, sometimes for entire hours at a time. Sometimes Raven joined her to watch her progress, and sometimes it was Bruce. It was Thursday night, and her party was in sixteen days, and she was beginning to count them down to a thin stream of time.

She hadn't thought the Titans were going to stay this long. She was thinking it would just be a few days, yet they had already been there for a week. As it turned out, they were staying for the rest of the month.

She wasn't counting on that. Maybe that was why her will had crumbled so completely that the majority of the team now knew who she was, and there was no taking that back.

She loved that she had Raven, Best Boy, and Cyborg back, but she was getting dangerously close to Robin and, god forbid, Kiki. She wished she could go back in time and make Bruce not extend the invitation at all, but the last time she'd time traveled, the outcome ended up worse than the original situation.

As Kori routinely lit up her hands and extinguished them, she felt the familiar surge of power that reminded her of better days. She had gotten to the point where she could light her hands almost subconsciously, the way she would put her hands up if something was thrown at her. She had the instinct to use her powers back, and she'd always heard that was the hardest part. The pain had virtually vanished, but she still couldn't shoot a bolt without the burns, nor could she fly for long without getting a huge headache. She was getting impatient. It wasn't fair that her old life had made reappearance so easily, yet her old powers wouldn't return as quickly.

Kori sighed. She hated this, this living in a glass house. The house was sturdy before the Titans had arrived. Unfortunately, the moment they crawled out of the woodwork, tiny spider-web cracks began to spread over the glass, and over time, though Kori tried to tape the cracks, they turned into deep fissures. What was the point of trying anymore?

As if summoned by the thought, Kori's mind was assaulted with an onslaught of painful memories: water stinging her face as she flew through the skyline of a nameless city somewhere between Gotham and Jump, the cherry pit of loneliness and desperation that planted in her chest the first day that Kiki showed her true colors. It only grew when Robin began to succumb to her. The pit cracked when she closed the window behind her, and it left a family-sized hole behind that had only filled when she'd been welcomed into Bruce's home, and even then, it took a while for her to admit that _that _part of her life was over.

When she'd lived on Tameran, she had never pictured her life to end up the way it did. When she was on Tameran, she expected to rule, as she was always told to expect. She didn't expect Grand Ruler, since that honor fell to the firstborn, but she expected some sort of role in her planet's future. But everything changed when the Gordanians attacked [1]. Then, she was hurtled into the ways of Earth, and she found happiness with a new family, a family who hadn't sold her to the Gordanians as a prize.

Oh how sour that life had gone. In what felt like no time at all, she was forced out of that life and into this glass house. She just wanted to go back.

Maybe it would all end. Her mind wandered to Madame Zinnia's prediction. _Your fall will be at the hands you loved the most; for when the candles are extinguished, it will be the end of Kori Anders._

So she was going to die, and it would be at the hands of the person she'd loved the most. Robin would kill her.

It was too late; he already was.

Without realizing it, Kori had let her mind wander to the point where sun was setting, and her hands had been alight the entire time. It was a good sign that she hadn't realized she had been using her powers, but she couldn't bring her spirits up after her sad soliloquy.

Maybe this was where she was meant to be the entire time. Kori collapsed into the cushions of her couch, drained from mental and physical exertion, and she held her head in her hands. Baby tears spilled out of the corners of her eyes and dribbled onto the pant leg of her jeans off the bridge of her nose. She hadn't cried since the day she'd heard the Titans were arriving, and it seemed appropriate. First she cried because her past was gaining on her, and now she cried because she wanted her past back.

She felt his presence then, when she was showing vulnerability. She looked up and he was leaning against her doorframe with concern in his eyes. Kori felt her heart spasm, trying to figure out its feelings. Kori knew she still felt affection for that face, but the affection was adulterated by fear and bitterness and sadness and anger. It was only when he had taken her by surprise that the other emotions were buried and the affection had a chance to shine through, if only for a few moments.

"How long have you been standing there?" Kori prayed he hadn't seen her use her powers. She had reached the conclusion that she wasn't ready to die just yet, and per Madame Zinnia's suggestion, she was going to keep her identity a secret for as long as she possible could.

Robin didn't answer but walked in and sat down across from her, his arms crossed. "Bruce told me about your past. I'm sorry I kept pestering you about it. It all makes sense now."

Kori's eyes widened. Bruce wouldn't, would he? "What?"

Robin ignored her question. "I know every superhero has some sort of traumatic history that drives them to heroism, but yours is particularly unfortunate." Robin paused to look at Kori's confused expression. "Almost too unfortunate to believe."

Kori realized what was going on then. Bruce had obviously filled Robin in with a fake back-story that he thought would get Robin off the chase, but it was clear that Robin was just starting to see how absurd a story it was. It had worked for a while, but Robin was no fool.

Still, Robin continued. "Whether or not the story Bruce fed me is true, I'm backing off. I'm not blind. I know when someone's past is too much to talk about. I'm sorry for interrogating you like that. I should've accepted that you were on our side."

Kori finally had a chance to speak. "You told me this already."

Robin looked away. "Just reiterating."

It was clear that Robin wanted to say more. "If you want to say something, just say it, Robin. I'm done playing games."

Robin looked at her full on, and his gaze was so intense that Kori almost looked away. But that would be a sign of weakness, and if anything, Kori was _not _weak.

"Bruce thinks highly of you for some reason, enough to lie to me to protect you, and I trust Bruce, so I'm trusting you too. Don't make me regret it."

With that, Robin stood up and left Kori sitting on her couch, more distraught and more thoughts clouding her mind than before Robin even entered the room.

Friday blossomed with promise. The day was warm, the sky was clear, and the burns on Kori's hands were healing. Not to mention her shoulder was almost completely healed. Bruce would have no reason to keep her on house arrest for the day, and that was what cheered Kori up the most.

Kori woke around 9:30 to a knock on her door.

"Come in!"

Kori heard the door creak and poked her head out from inside her cubby.

It was Selena. "So, what would you say to doing something fun today?"

Kori stood up and stretched, smiling. "It sounds great! What did you have in mind?"

Selena sat on the couch and crossed her legs. "How would you feel about splurging? I was thinking we could head into town, do a spa day, get lunch, go shopping, if you'd like."

Kori smiled and kept talking as she walked into her bathroom to change into real clothes and put in her contacts. "What's the occasion?"

Selena laughed. "There has to be an occasion?"

Kori poked her head out the door with a raised eyebrow. "Well, yes. You hardly ever offer to spend an entire day off out of the house. I don't know if you've noticed, but when you get a day off, you're somewhat of a homebody."

Selena smirked. "You just have me all figured out, huh? Well, fine, you're right. Bruce asked me to get you away for the day."

Kori smiled. Although Bruce was a master of disguise, secret party planning was not his forte. "Let me guess. Bruce is planning my party here and he needs me to be far far away."

Selena didn't look surprised. "You can't trust Dani Zurich with anything, can you?"

Kori smiled. "Well, Bruce tried this same tactic with Beast Boy and Raven a while ago. It failed just as wholly. Raven didn't really understand the whole concept of a surprise party. Don't worry though, I've been practicing my surprised face."

Kori had once again closed the door to the bathroom, but she knew that Selena was smiling from her voice. "Well, there's no reason we can't still have a good time." Kori walked out of the bathroom in a full, vertically striped black and cream skirt, with a red collared sleeveless blouse and black peep-toe heels. She had pulled her hair into a ponytail, leaving her ears exposed. Selena's eyes fixated on the new stud in her cartilage.

"I heard about Avarice, even though you apparently didn't see the need to tell me. Congratulations."

"I'm sorry, things just got so… hectic and it slipped my mind. I'm sorry!"

Selena stood up smiling. "You already said that. Now, what do you say to a day on the town? You can bring Dani and Raven, if you'd like."

Kori smiled. "Really? You don't think Bruce will be like a chicken who's lost its head without you to help him plan?"

Selena laughed. "Oh, he will. But I left him _very _specific instructions, so he can't mess it up too badly, can he?" Kori laughed. "Now go get your friends; I made an appointment for 10:45 at La Medina's. And, don't take this the wrong way, but please do your makeup. You look like you rose from the dead." Looking in the mirror, Kori could see that Selena was right. Kori's skin was washed out from lack of sunlight, and her eyes were sunken into her head.

She did her makeup with the finesse of an artist as usual, and was pleased that the liveliness had somewhat returned to her cheeks without her having to cake herself in product. She grabbed her phone and called Dani, and she picked up on the first ring.

"Where have you been? I thought you were dead! Why the hell have you been ignoring my calls, and why hasn't Bruce let me come to the house? I tried! Alfred turned me away at the door, the son of a bitch!"

"Dani, slow down. I'm not dead."

"Yeah, _now _you tell me."

Kori rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, Bruce had me bonding with our guests and he wouldn't let me leave the house. But I'm making it up to you! Selena is taking us out for mani/pedi's, lunch, and shopping. You in?"

Dani sighed. "Yeah, I'm in, but I swear to god, if you ever fall off the face of the earth like that again—"

Kori smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You'll make me eat my own ashes."

"Good girl. Now what's the plan?"

"10:15 at La Medina's."

"See you, there."

Kori hung up and grabbed her bag, leaving her room and locking it behind her, just in case. She was moving towards Raven's room when a very smiley bundle of evil blocked her way.

"Oh, hi Kiki…"

Kiki was smiling at her, looking just like she had two years before. "Hey, Kor!" Kori winced at the nickname. As far as Kiki knew, they were strangers, and there wasn't a very long list of people who called her that. It had gotten longer, recently, but she could still count them on her hands.

"Do you, uh, need something?" Kori was in a good mood, since the day seemed to be going so well, so she decided she wouldn't attack Kiki just yet.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out!"

Kiki looked past Kiki to Raven's door, and cleared her throat. "I actually have plans, so if you'll excuse me…"

Kiki nodded her head furiously. "Yeah, of course you already have plans! That's totally cool, 'cus I, like, have plans too."

Kori cocked an eyebrow. "Do you?"

Kiki kept nodding, and Kori almost laughed at her strong resemblance to a bobblehead toy.

"Yeah, totally! I have, y'know, stuff, and… stuff…"

Kori was enjoying this now. "Stuff?"

Kiki was trying to look calm, cool, and collected, but she fiddled with the ends of her hair. "Yeah, you know how it is with, y'know, _stuff._"

Kori saw Robin exit his room out of the corner of her eye, and decided it was her turn to leave. "Okay! Well, have fun with your… stuff… I've gotta go. See you around."

Kiki smiled and nodded again, and Kori pushed past her and into Raven's room. Kiki turned to Robin who was leaning up against the wall, arms crossed and eyes narrowed at Raven's door.

Kiki walked up to him and nudged him with her shoulder. "So… Robin… there she goes… here we are… all alone in the hallway… just you and me… two alone people… together…. _Alone." _[2]

Robin scratched his head and looked away. "Uh… I gotta go… uh, talk to Bruce."

Kiki watched him turn and walk down the stairs and threw her hands in the air with a dissatisfied 'harrumph.'

"UGH! Why doesn't anyone _like _me?!"

Kori ended up having to drag Raven to the car and to the salon, and even then, she had to promise that Raven wouldn't be forced into the torture of nail care. It was fine with Kori. She was happy as long as Raven was there, even if it meant all she did was read her doomsday poetry book in a chair in the corner.

When they arrived at La Medina's, Selena was sitting in the waiting area typing away on her phone. She looked up when the bell above the door jingled, and smiled.

Raven's eyes wandered over the salon. It looked like her worst nightmare. There were people, and they were _smiling _as they _rubbed people's feet. _Who _smiles _when they are touching _feet? _She shivered.

The bell above the door jingled again, and Selena's eyes widened. "Dani, you're actually _on time?" _

Dani stopped in her tracks. "I was just about to apologize for being late." She scratched her head. "I don't like this feeling. Is this what being," she shivered, "_punctual _feels like? Why would anyone want this?"

Selena turned to Kori and Kori smirked. "I told her it started at 10:15."

Selena nodded. "And that's why we adopted you."

Kori laughed and turned to the teenager sitting at the reception desk. She seemed fresh out of her first year of college, and her eyes widened slightly when she saw Kori.

"Do you have an appointment under Wayne?"

The girl blinked and shook her head before turning to the computer and sliding her eyes over the illuminated screen. "Uh… yes! In fact, your room's ready, if you'd like to head up."

Kori, Raven, Selena, and Dani wove through the salon towards the stairs that led to the private rooms and started to climb. It wasn't until they reached the top that Dani seemed to rise from her punctuality-induced stupor.

"Kori, you brought Debbie Downer, Miss Enthusiastic, the _grumpy one?_"

Kori rolled her eyes. "Her name is Raven, and you should keep your voice down, because she has ears."

Raven turned to Dani from farther up the stairs and spoke in her classic tone. "That's _Miss _Grumpy One to you."

Selena laughed. "I wouldn't step on her toes, Dani. She's almost as much of a smart-mouth as you."

"Yeah, and an even larger stick up her butt." Dani mumbled this, but Kori heard and elbowed her in the ribs.

"Play nice or no spa day for you."

Dani kept quiet after that.

**1: Anyone who can name what television show this line is from will get a shoutout on the next chapter. Everyone who gets it right will get a shoutout. Not just one winner, people.**

**2: Whoever can name what television show ****_this _****quote is from AND who said it to what character in what situation first will earn my utmost respect and will be told the outcome to this story via Private Message. If they break the vow of secrecy, they will be forever shunned from me and will not be considered for further contests. Also they will lose my respect.**

**People who guess these two things correctly: you are amazing people. YOU are the kind of people whom I like to befriend because you watch these two shows, which are hugely connected (hint hint). So please be my friend if you love these shows as much as I do. I can't take it that show number 2 doesn't come back for like a month. I've waited a year, Mike and Brian, I AM IN WITHDRAWAL YOU BASTARDS GIVE ME MORE EPISODES PLEASE. I just gave a huge hint away. Ah well.**

**So that's chapitre sept, my friends. I hope you enjoyed! This felt like a kind of weird place to end, but if I were to go into the whole day with Selena and da crew, it would've taken too long and I wouldn't have gotten it done for you all for like, another four days, so I decided to make it kind of a two-parter. **

**-Ana **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So the people who won the first portion of the contest were...**

**Qwerty124**

**The Unseen Mystic**

**Guest 1 **

**Val**

**LucilleL**

**rashellynn**

**Sporks**

**titanprincess123**

**Guest 2**

**NekoAmi1216**

**Congratulations everyone! You're all winners. This next chapter is short, so be prepared. Also, I'm not going to name names, but whoever it was who pointed out that chapter 7 was kind of short, you are correct. It was. However, I write how I write, whether it takes me days or weeks, and if you wanted me to write very long chapters every week, I assure you, they would be of considerably poorer quality, so I just am trying to do what I can to let you all get chapters ASAP, but I can't control how quickly I come up with ideas and actually have time to put pen on paper, or, in this case, fingers on keys. So I'm truly sorry, but I'm doing the best I can! I will try to keep going, but I can only work so fast, and I know I am definitely one of the slower writers on FF, so I apologize. I hope I haven't lost readers because of my slow writing... hehe okay speech over.**

**So read on, my friends! A lot happens in this short chapter, so it's a doozy. Good luck, one and all!**

**Sincerely, Anastasia**

Manicures and pedicures went well, though Kori was right. Raven sat in the corner the entire time, a black book poised in her hands, her nose buried.

Dani kept a constant chatter while Kori just relaxed as her toes were poked and prodded and painted and plucked. Selena chose a shocking red for her nails and toes, while Kori settled for her usual nail color: black. Don't judge her; it went with everything.

Dani chose a baby blue that would match her dress for the party, assuming that it wouldn't chip away. Knowing Dani, and her nail picking habits, Kori couldn't imagine that nail polish lasting long.

After their appointment, they decided on a small café across the street for lunch. Selena ordered a chicken salad, Dani ordered a BLT, and Kori went with a bowl of homemade mac n' cheese.

They moved on to the mall, where Kori bought some magnificent chandelier earrings to match her dress for the party, which was a mere six days away. Kori's shoulder had healed completely, though this surprised no one but Robin and Kiki, since everyone else knew why.

When they all returned to the manor, Kori felt like it was too soon an end to a truly entertaining day, and invited Dani up to her room. They talked, gossiped. All the things they usually did.

"Did you know I did a shoot with Sami Magis?"

Dani dropped the pillow she'd been holding. "Uh, _no._"

Kori shrugged. "Well she still hates us, in case you were wondering."

Dani rolled her eyes and thought back to the many affairs she'd had with Sami's old boyfriend. "I can't tell if it was worth it yet."

Dani smiled. "He was a great guy, magic lips."

"Okay, I've heard enough."

Dani threw the pillow at Kori. "Shutup. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not sure his… company was worth getting that frigid bitch in such a tizzy. She can be a real pain in the you-know-where when she wants to be."

"Well her boyfriend did cheat on her with you. You are the proverbial temptress."

"But still. You'd think she'd get over it."

"Hey, I'm the one who doesn't actually deserve her wrath, not you."

Dani cocked an eyebrow. "I wouldn't be so sure, Miss Holier-Than-Thou."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Dani's arms crossed and she looked at Kori from underneath her copious eyelashes, a smirk painted on her face. "You knew what was going on the whole time and didn't squeal. In her eyes, you are just as bad as me. Weren't you guys, you know, _buddies? _Bros? Homies? Amigos?" [1]

Kori scoffed. "Yeah well that ended at a stunningly fast rate. No thanks to you, ho-bag. Did she ever threaten _you _with kitchen knives? _I don't think so. _So just shut your incessantly whining mouth."

Dani snickered. "Ooooh, kittie's got claws… I'm _so scared._"

Kori shot her a glare that could curdle milk and stood up in defiance, retreating to her closet, where she couldn't see Dani's triumphant smile.

Dani's voice drifted from beneath the door. "Hey, I'm getting kind of stir crazy. How would you like to go out tonight? You know, get your mind off of tall, dark, and gloomy?"

Kori ripped the door open, a new shirt still fisted in her palms as she had been trying to hang it. It was probably wrinkled now.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't play coy with me. You know, _Tough, the magic ass-hat?"_

"Did you just compare Richard to Puff the Magic Dragon?"

"Ha! So you _do _know who I'm talking about."

Kori rolled her eyes, but couldn't seem to cover her blush. "There's nothing to get over, I assure you."

"Is that so?" Dani stood up and pulled the shirt from her hands. "If that's the case, then why are you blushing like you walked in on Bruce and Selena doing the nasty?"

"OH MY GOD, YOU DID NOT JUST SAY THAT."

"I said stop trying to change the subject."

"I think I'm scarred. Forever."

"Stop being a baby and tell me what the deal is with you and the scary hot guy."

"-I'm not sure I will ever look at Bruce the same way again. Do you even know what 'TOO MUCH INFORMATION' means?"

"KORI. _Shut up."_

Kori stopped talking, and instead snatched her shirt from Dani's hands, and continued trying to hang it up.

"Thank you. Now can you please just fill me in here? What's his deal?"

Kori sighed. "How do you even know there was anything going on?"

Dani cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms, happy to have something over Kori for once. Usually it was the other way around. "Oh please. Every time he looks at you, it's like he's trying to burn you with his face. And every time _you _look at _him_, you get this sad look on your face liked someone murdered your gerbil. And every time that nitwit _Kristi, _or whoever she is, looks at him, it's like she's about to jump his bones. So start talking."

"Ugh, why are you so _nosey?_"

"Excuse me for having eyes. It's not that hard to see the tension between you two. So what's the dealio? What's the 411? What's the main dish? What's the talk of the tightrope? What's the—"

"You know that last one didn't even make sense."

Dani rolled her eyes. "I don't care; it was the first thing I thought of. Now tell me what is going on."

Kori deflated and sat back at the couch, trying to come up with a believable cover story. It wasn't too hard.

"Bruce adopted him a long time ago, and he ran away. I met him and his friends before I came to Bruce, and we were… complicated… and then he met Kiki and she sort of stole him and turned everyone against me, I guess, and I got out. I ended up here, changed my appearance, and well, you know the rest. The point is, he doesn't know it's me, nor do I want him to. As far as he knows, we haven't met outside of Bruce's circle, and I'd like to keep it that way."

Dani nodded, her expression stony. "That sucks monster ass."

Kori laughed. "That's why we are friends."

Dani walked over to Kori, who had finished hanging up her shirt and was leaning against the doorframe of her closet. Dani put her hands on Kori's shoulders and smiled.

"I say we go out tonight and we invite your ex and his chums and we make him fall in love with you all over again."

Kori frowned, unsure what Dani was trying to say. "How on earth would that help the situation? Why would I want to get my heart broken twice?"

Dani smiled her classic Cheshire smile and shook Kori again by the shoulders. "Because you are going to give him a taste of his own medicine and he is going to regret what he did to you, even if he doesn't know it's you he's regretting letting go."

Kori caught on now, and she smiled. "Okay. Let's do it."

An hour found Dani walking over to Beast Boy's door, or Garfield, as Dani knew him. Kori had informed her that Garfield would be the most excited to go out, followed closely by Victor, or Cyborg.

Garfield was obviously on board, and Victor was as well. Kiki, of course followed soon behind, once Richard had decided to go, since he didn't want Garfield and Victor to be unsupervised. Raven, whose name didn't need any real masking, since it could be any normal girl's name, didn't want to be left alone in the house while Bruce and Selena went out to dinner themselves.

So Kori, Dani, Garfield, Victor, Raven, Richard, and Kiki piled into the largest Wayne car: the jeep. Kiki and Garfield sat in the trunk.

They drove a short while, Kori driving with Dani in the passenger's side, and she smiled at Robin in the mirror. He looked stern, and confused, unsure what Kori was doing.

Dani had gone all out for Kori. She wore a skin-tight black dress with ¾ sleeves and amazingly tall black heels. The skirt of her dress was silky around her legs, falling at mid-thigh, and she had a thigh sheath with a dagger underneath, just in case. Her hair was pinned back from her face and falling in corkscrew pin curls around her shoulders and down her back. She wore a chunky black necklace around her neck, and her eyes were enhanced with smoky makeup. Her lips were glossed a pale, light pink.

She looked at hot, just as Dani had hoped.

They pulled up in front of Nightlight, the hottest spot in all of Gotham, and parked a few blocks down the street. They walked past the line of hopefuls and straight to the bouncers, who took one look at Kori and Dani and pulled open the red velvet rope. However, just as the rest of the Titans were going to follow, the bouncer replaced the rope.

Richard cocked an eyebrow.

Kori smirked. So Dickie wasn't a recognizable face in Gotham anymore, hmm? She smiled. This night was getting better by the second.

"It's cool. They're with me."

The bouncer and allowed them to pass, even Kiki, who resembled a blind Barbie doll who couldn't see well enough to put her copious amounts of makeup in the right places.

After a half hour and two drinks, Kori knew it was time to initiate the plan.

Kori sashayed over to Richard and grabbed him by the tie, right out from under Kiki's nose, who seemed stunned into silence.

Kori guided him to the center of the dance floor and wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling the wisps of hair at the base of his neck. She looked into his eyes, and saw the confusion in his eyes. But he wasn't backing away, and that was surprising to Kori. In fact, what Kori saw was something she'd seen in her own eyes for a long time whenever she'd seen Robin.

It was the beginnings of infatuation.

"Thanks for getting me away from her."

Kori started to move into kiss him, but something stopped her. She pulled away, shaking her head.

"I-I can't do this."

Kori shook her head and ran out of the dance floor. She saw Dani chasing after her, and searched for a way out of the drunken haze of the club. Catching sight of a neon exit sign, Kori pushed it open and found herself in the alley between the club and the next building over. She stopped and laid her elbows on the opposite brick wall, not caring that the brick was digging into her elbows. Her buzz was wearing off.

She held her head in her hands and tried to think, but the opening of the door dragged her from her thoughts.

Without turning, Kori mumbled, nearly in tears, "Dani, I just can't do this."

"It's not Dani."

Kori whipped around, and sure enough, it wasn't Dani. It was Robin.

He closed the door behind him and turned back to her. "You know, I can't understand you, Kori. You have Bruce and Selena wrapped around your pretty little finger, and so much that Bruce is willing to feed me a lie to protect you. One second, you act like you want to kill us, and the next you're trying to kiss me on the dance floor!"

Kori sniffled. "I don't want to talk about this, Robin."

Robin grabbed her wrist before she could turn around again. "You can tell me, Kori."

Kori whipped around. "Oh, _really? _You know, I can't understand you either, Robin! The first second, you're threatening to kill me if I ever try to hurt your team, and you're suspicious as all get-out, torturing me with my past, and the next second, you're looking at me like I used to look at—"

Before Kori could finish, she caught herself and turned around, her fist in her mouth.

She turned back again, to see Robin looking perplexed. "I'm not some puzzle you can figure out, Richard. I'm a living, breathing, person, and I'm especially not a threat to you or anyone in that club."

Kori felt tears tracing lines down the makeup on her cheeks, but she kept talking, because she wasn't sure what she would do if she stopped. She was in a dangerous position, because if she stopped talking, she wasn't sure what she'd do, but if she didn't stop talking, she couldn't be sure what she'd say.

Luckily, Robin shut her up.

By smashing his lips against hers.

Kori froze. She was so stunned, she opened her eyes, and luckily she did, or she might've died. Because out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a figure all in black slink down the alley towards them. Out of their pocket, Kori could see the gleam of a metal barrel of a gun, and the figure took their stance.

And he was aiming it at Kori.

In one swift action, Kori shoved Robin off of her, and pulled the knife from her sheath, throwing it with precision at the figure. But she heard the shot and the knife found no purchase. The figure sprinted down the alley and Kori never saw his face.

In shock, she turned back to Robin, who was staring at her. Or more importantly, he was staring at her abdomen.

Kori turned her head down to find what was so interesting about her wonderful abs, and found them stained with red.

"SHIT! GODDAMMIT WHY IS EVERYONE SHOOTING ME?! DO I LOOK LIKE A TARGET TO YOU? DO I LOOK LIKE A TARGET!" Kori grabbed Robin by the arm and dragged him down the alley towards the car. "YOU'RE COMING WITH ME, BUSTER. NOW THAT I'VE BEEN FRIGGIN SHOT FOR THE SECOND TIME, I HAVE TO GO TO BACK HOME BEFORE THE COMBINATION OF ALCOHOL AND SHOCK WEARS OFF AND I TURN INTO A PUDDLE OF TEARS, GODDAMMIT."

"Kori, uh—" Robin had seemed to regain his speech, but Kori wasn't listening.

"I AM GOING TO FIND THAT SKINNY LITTLE BITCH WHO SHOT ME AND SHOVE THEIR HEAD SO FAR UP THEIR ASS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO EAT THEIR OWN SHIT TO SURVIVE."

"Ahem, Kori—"

Kori was fumbling with her keys as she screamed.

"GOD THAT STUPID HEAD IS GOING TO WAKE UP ONE DAY IN A PILE OF THEIR OWN ENTRAILS AND I'M GOING TO LAUGH AND LAUGH AND LAUGH UNTIL I DIE OF LAUGHTER. THEN, WHEN THEIR WILL IS READ, I'M GOING TO REPLACE EVERY 'THE' WITH 'IM A STUPID LOSER WHO EATS SHIT AND I HEREBY LEAVE MY ASSJACKET TO MY ONLY SON, SO HE CAN BE EVEN MORE OF AN ASS THAN I AM."

"KORI!"

"WHAT, RICHARD?!"

"Maybe I should drive."

"That might be a good idea."

**A/N: Agains, sorry for the length and the long time it took me to write it, but I hope the content made up a tad for it. So, if you are too excited to wait for chapters, then you will have to find a faster writer, and I am truly sorry that I couldn't help you out. But let it be known that I have no intention of dropping this story, so no one unfollow because you think I've called it quits, because I assure you, I haven't. Unfollow because you don't like the story or unfollow because I'm a slow-poke, just know that I've not given up.**

**Sincerely, Anastasia**

**Toodles!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: A bit of a shorty, but I couldn't go headlong into the party now could I? About the party! I've designed the ultimate contest for the next chapter.**

**I have included myself as a guest of Kori's party. In the middle of the chapter, you can kind of guess where, four girls are introduced, and one of them is me. And I use my real first name. You see, I was born with a horribly (in my opinion) old-fashioned name, but I adored my middle name. Anastasia. So I plan on changing my name and introducing myself as Ana or Anastasia in college. But for now, you will have to guess who I am in the next chapter. I am written as I actually look in real life (I swear, I actually do look how I am described) and I use my real first name, though not my real last name for obvious reasons. The first person to guess which girl I am will win the prize, which will be announced in the next chapter, part 1 of the End.**

**-Ana Bananna**

Kori passed out halfway through the ride, which made sense since she was having trouble remembering anything after the shot rang out.

She opened her eyes with the return of the godforsaken migraine monkey.

He wanted her to worship him as her god, and it sounded like all his monkey followers had convened within the confines of her head to sing praise to migraine monkey.

If people could read Kori's mind, she would have no friends. None. At all. She would be institutionalized.

Kori was in her room, luckily, and not in some foreign doctor's office like last time. She was tucked into her cubby, the screen closed, and her blankets were wrapped tightly around her.

Groaning, she opened the screen and peeked her head out. Dani was sitting on the couch, doing something on her phone, and Kori cleared her throat.

"You must have been really drunk."

Kori furrowed her brows. "What?"

Dani crossed her arms. "Richard the Dick-man said that you were so drunk that you collapsed in an alley and he took you home. I got a cab and came back here to find out that you were passed out, and Alfred made me wait to visit until this morning."

Kori nodded. That was a believable story. But she wished she could tell Dani the truth sometimes, even if it meant losing her.

She deserved it

A knock on the door startled them, and Alfred walked in with a tray of food. Eggs on toast, orange juice, and three links of sausage sat on the tray, and the smell made Kori's stomach growl.

Dani stood up. "Alfred, it seems like you do everything under the sun in this house. What exactly is your job description?"

Alfred cocked his head. "I'm the butler, miss."

"Yes, I know that, but what do you _do?_"

Alfred set the tray down on Kori's coffee table and faced Dani once more. "I buttle."

Dani tilted her head, her lips pursed, before nodding. "Acceptable answer, you sly dog you."

Alfred smiled wryly and left the room, and Dani turned to Kori smiling. "He's a piece of work. I like it."

Kori rolled her eyes and stood up, only to be hit with a wave of nausea and a tinge of pain startling her.

Looking down, she saw bandages wrapped around her abdomen, underneath a flowing tank top. Dani didn't seem to notice.

Digging in, Kori reveled in the feeling of real food settling in her stomach and she smiled in pleasure.

"Well, I'll leave you to make love with your food, then." Kori punched her halfheartedly on the arm as Dani checked her watch. "Besides, I've got a meeting with the Mighty Gina Del Torres in twenty minutes, and she'd kill me if I was late."

Gina Del Torres was Dani's agent, and she was so talented at pulling strings that Dani and Kori started calling her the Mighty Gina Del Torres. Though she was strict and had somewhat of a stick up her butt, she got the job done.

"Alright, call me later."

Dani grabbed her purse and swung out of the room, closing the door softly behind her while Kori finished her breakfast in peace.

After two or three minutes of boredom, Kori decided to pick up with her powers again. She had progressed a lot in the last few weeks. She could feel happiness blooming in her chest every time she successfully threw a starbolt. She could guarantee that her powers would be fully returned by the end of the month at the most.

She had always been told that it was a difficult process, dealing with a lot of pain, and that was true. It was painful for the first few days, burns snaking her hands. But burns heal.

Kori was expecting it to take so much longer, yet she already could fly just as well as she used to, and it was easy to transition between walking and flying; it was just as easy as breathing, and required little concentration.

She would be happier about it if the migraine monkey left her alone for a minute and a half.

Kori spent two hours working with her abilities, sending a starbolt into her trashcan or flying around the room aimlessly. It felt good to be using her powers now, like stretching your legs after a long walk. Like scratching an itch you didn't know was there.

Bruce interrupted her.

"Hey, Kori, we need to talk."

Kori floated down to her sofa from where she was hovering. "Did you see that?"

Bruce looked impatient and a little bit frustrated. "That's great Kori, but aren't there a few more important things to be discussing right now other than your powers?"

Kori frowned, sober again. "If this is about what I think it's about, I'm still sort of dazed and I don't remember really what happened, so don't ask."

Bruce sighed. "Don't you find it at least a little bit strange that three attempts have been made on your life in the past month?"

Kori shrugged. "People make attempts on my life every day, I'm just wearing a mask. What's the point?"

Bruce shook his head. "You don't understand. The only attempts on your life before now were when you were Catgirl, and those were justifiable. But these past three were made when you weren't wearing a mask. Sure, plenty of people have it out for Catgirl, but who would try to kill Kori Anders?"

Kori's brows furrowed. She could see his point; it was rather strange. "Celebrities get creepy stalkers all the time. You're overreacting. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Bruce. You saw to that."

"Really, Kori? Does your current situation suggest that you are doing a good job taking care of yourself? Your brake fluid was lowered. You were shot twice. That's more malicious attention than any run-of-the-mill celebrity gets."

Kori crossed her arms. "What exactly are you suggesting, Bruce?"

"Is there any way that someone close to you could have revealed your secret?"

"No. The Titans who know wouldn't tell."

"I wasn't talking about the Titans."

Kori stood up. "Quit with the insinuations, Bruce, and just spit out what you want to say."

"What exactly do you know about Daniella Zurich?"

Kori was pissed now. To think that Bruce could possibly have the nerve to look Kori in the eye and flat out tell her that he thought her best friend, her only real friend from Gotham, was trying to kill her! On purpose! That was crossing a line, and Bruce was not going to get away with that.

"_I know everything about her. Her parents divorced when she was seven and her dad moved to Texas. Her mom and her live in an estate just like this one and she has never said a cruel word to me or shoved into my business, UNLIKE YOU." _Bruce seemed unsurprised at Kori's reaction. "_And I'll tell you right now that she knows _nothing _except what I _told_ her and she hasn't even questioned the lies that I've had to feed her because of YOU._"

Without a word, Bruce stood up and left the room, knowing that Kori would never see reason. Maybe he was wrong to accuse her friend. It was true, Dani was a good person, and she never did intentionally harm anyone in Wayne Manor, nor could Bruce imagine that she could. But if it wasn't Dani, than who could possibly have let loose that Kori was Starfire? Or maybe this was about Kori being Catgirl? This web of attempted murders was getting thicker, and it was getting harder and harder to piece everything together.

Kori sat in her room for hours. Her eyes would not dim. They were glowing bright green and they would not stop. And it _hurt. _

She couldn't breathe because she was so worked up over what Bruce had said. Dani would _never _do anything to hurt her. Dani had only ever been supportive and caring and maybe a little bit fresh with Bruce, but that hardly qualified her as a murderer.

Kori felt tears welling in her eyes, still burning hot, and evaporating before they could spill over. She sat on her couch, her hands folded, her eyes gleaming green, for three hours, desperately trying to dim them down. No matter what she did, no matter how much concentration she focused on turning them off, they did not return to normal. Her contacts were incinerated by now.

She heard her door creak open, but she couldn't see anything but green. The couch cushions caved next to her as someone sat on them, putting a hand on her shoulder. It was that contact that rooted Kori back to reality, and she felt her eyes start to cool. Agonizingly slowly, her vision returned, spotty at first, then more and more.

"Are you okay?"

Kori turned her head and nodded to Raven. "Thank you."

Raven nodded.

Kori frowned. All of this was his fault. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have lost her powers. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have left the Titans. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have had to go through this confusion and this feeling like her broken heart was being run over with a truck. If it weren't for him, she would be happy and oblivious to this feeling like she would never get out of this _hole. _If it weren't for him, she wouldn't be so melodramatic all the time, and now, whenever he smiled, she had a mental breakdown. If it wasn't for him, she bet Bruce wouldn't be suggesting that Dani of all people was trying to kill her.

Well maybe Bruce would still think that Dani was behind the attacks, but until then, he had been the cause of all her heartbreak.

And he had to know that.

Robin was sitting at his desk when she knocked. He shut his laptop, where the search for Kori Anders was still displayed.

Just because Bruce had told him to let it go didn't mean he had to. His first attempt to get closer to her and figure her out had failed, and he ended up feeling a little guilty. If he hadn't tried to kiss her, she probably wouldn't have gotten shot. But sacrifices had to be made if he wanted to get to the bottom of this.

He had to admit that he couldn't figure her out. Robin had always prided himself on his intellect, yet Kori, simply put, mystified him. It was almost like she fighting between two people she wanted to be, each with two different personalities. He assumed that Bruce had taken her in because he felt sorry for her, as he had taken in Robin so many years ago.

But what didn't make sense was the way that Bruce treated Kori. It was almost like whenever she was around, Bruce walked on eggshells to make sure Kori didn't get offended, though Robin couldn't understand why.

He knew there was something he was missing, something important, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't place it. What irked him even more was that his entire team with the exception of Kiki, though they hadn't been particularly loyal to him before, was latching on to Kori like leeches in a murky pond. Even Raven, who was never quick to trust, seemed to trust Kori enough to hang out with her and even go to a _spa _with her. It didn't make any sense, and he'd be lying if he said she didn't annoy him.

He opened the door to see Kori, just who he had been thinking about, staring at him with glaciers in her eyes.

She pushed him on the shoulders. "You need to back off right now or I swear to god I will personally make your life unlivable. I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but the more you pull on me, the less likely I am to trust you, and I know that's what you want. I don't _care _if you saved my life, I don't _care _if Bruce was your father figure once too, I don't _care _that you have a complex where you just _have_ to stick your nose into everyone's damn business! I am not Bruce, nor am I going to just automatically like you like Bitch Barbie down the hall, so stop trying!" She paused. "For some reason, Bruce thinks it's a good idea for you to be at my party on Saturday, but I swear to god, if you do not pack up the _second _the last guest leaves, I _will _make you regret it."

Robin remained silent, unsure what this one-sided conversation meant to him or if it was a clue to Kori's story. Kori took his stony silence as assent.

"I trust that none of this conversation will make it to Bruce's ears. Good night."

And with that, Kori Anders was gone just as quickly as she'd appeared.

Bruce walked in at about ten-thirty to talk to her.

"I'm sorry that I suspected Dani, Kori."

Kori looked up. Bruce was standing firm as ever, but Kori knew from experience that he was nervous. His wrists were moving behind his back, so she knew he was wringing his hands. She allowed him to continue.

"It's just very difficult for me to see someone after you and simultaneously not know who that person is. It's very unsettling, and it is making me question everyone. It wasn't just Dani I suspected. I even asked Selena if she knew anything about it, and she was just as angered that I'd ever suspect her. She's right."

Kori nodded. "Thanks, Bruce. I'm glad you've seen reason." Kori looked away from Bruce and picked up a newspaper, aimlessly flipping through it. This brought her to another topic she'd wanted to discuss with Bruce before his illogical accusation.

"How have patrols been lately? Anything I should know?" Bruce had been giving Kori free passes from patrols for the past month, since Raven found out about Kori's identity, and she'd have felt guilty if she hadn't been spending most of her free time dodging attempts on her life.

"It's been rather slow." Bruce paused, as if thinking of something new. "Though there was a new villain. His or her name's Shift."

Kori cocked an eyebrow. "His or her?"

Bruce nodded. "We aren't sure. They're a shapeshifter, whoever they are, and they keep changing their looks every time we get close."

Kori nodded. "Huh."

"Other than that, it's been quiet."

Bruce left and shut the door behind him gently as Kori turned back to her magazine.

**A/n: Hope you enjoyed.**


	10. Chapter 10 The End part I

**A/N: So, as I announced in the last chapter, I am somewhere in this story as a guest of Kori's party. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten Sami Magis. She plays a big part in a few moments. However, I never announced the prize for guessing who I am in this story, so I shall do so presently. As all of you have probably realized by now, I only focus on one story at a time. Since this story is quickly coming to a close (eep! My first finished story!), I will need to continue with one of my others. So, the winner of this contest will get to choose which story that is. **

**Keep in mind, I make no guarantees that I will actually be able to keep working on that story myself, because I have to have a vision for where I want to go with that story, and I can't just make myself know how a story is going to turn out, though I wish I could. No, it's more complex than that. In fact, for this story, the ending I sent out as a prize for a quote contest a while back are practically void because I came up with new ideas. It's still the basic principles, but I molded the ending a lot and a lot has been changed (you're all going to want to kill me at the end of this, and so I apologize in advance).**

**So, guess away, my readers!**

**Sincerely,**

**Ana Montana**

It was finally here. The day of her party. After today, the Titans would be out of Kori's hair, for good. She could go on with her life the way that she had been before they interrupted. She could go back to being normal for once.

Her gunshot wound had been far from fatal. It was merely a scrape, a wound that healed within the day on Kori's superhuman flesh.

Selena woke Kori up with eggs benedict, then whisked her away from the house to get her hair done. Kori sat in a twirling black circle chair as Diana from La Medina's tugged and prodded at Kori's black locks. She coaxed them into a braided circlet on her head, like a crown of ink, with little tendrils framing her face.

They got their nails done for a second time, even though they had just gotten them freshly painted two days previous.

They went out to lunch.

They had fun.

They got ready for the party.

If only they could've been warned that not everything was as it seemed and that everything was going to end for one of them.

Kori sat in front of the mirror. Her hair was beautiful. Her dress was a piece of artwork. Her eyes were correctly covered with crystal blue contacts. Her makeup was done with expert precision, defining her already regal features.

Everything was perfect.

So why couldn't she shake this feeling like something was off?

The feeling followed Kori down the stairs and out to the limo she would be taking to her 'mystery event.' She placed her mask on while she sat in the backseat next to Selena. The limo weaved through the Gotham streets as they bantered easily about the party.

"Happy birthday, Kori." Selena handed Kori a wrapped present and Kori looked at her with eyebrows raised.

"I don't understand. You know you told me the invitations said gifts optional, right?"

Selena smiled and rolled her eyes. "It's just a little something to commemorate you're birthday. Just open it."

Kori tore at the blue paper and found a velvety box. She opened the lid and her eyes landed on a pair of simple, yet stunning diamond earrings.

Kori smiled brightly and, removing her own outrageous chandeliers, stuck the diamond studs into her ears. She gave Selena a hug and the two talked until the limo slid to a stop.

Opening the door, Kori gaped. She'd never been to Woolwick Manor, just outside of Gotham, but it was even more palatial than Wayne Manor.

Woolwick was not anyone's house, but it was available for tours and for events such as this one, where decorators could come in and have their way with the place, so long as they return everything to its original state at the end of the event.

For Kori's gala, beautiful strands of white-colored lights had been strung into the trees that lined the circular driveway, and the mansion was washed in blue light. Guests milled around on the huge stone patio with regal columns up the stairs, and a fountain, spurting crystal water, bubbled at the front of the house.

The house itself was a sight to behold. It was easily at least four stories, a giant square set firmly on plush grass, sitting regally on its haunches with white marble columns calling to the days of the Parthenon. Kori climbed the steps with the skirt of her dress clenched in her palms, and she opened the door to the beautiful mansion with Selena at her heels.

The inside was even more stunning than the inside. A huge grand staircase took up most of the foyer, and Kori followed the noise of tinkling glasses and the drone of aristocratic chatter down a hallway and into a grand ballroom. Looking up, she gasped. The ballroom was open aired, and she could see straight to the ceiling, which was glass and four stories above her. There were corridors set into the walls, leading to the rest of the rooms, and she counted five corridors going up the wall to the top floor. She had underestimated the grandeur of the house. There were five floors, not four.

Tables were strewn about the ballroom, covered in black silk table cloths, and guests wafted through the room in elaborate masks, ranging from characters from stories to animals.

Kori was greeted by a considerable group of people. Bruce, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Robin, Kiki, and Dani were huddled by the door, and they called to her.

Bruce wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He was dressed in(read as forced into) a traditional Shakespearean Romeo costume, to Selena's Juliet. Beast Boy wore a green traditional Mexican mariachi suit and a matching mask. Cyborg dressed like he'd just stepped out of the seventies, with a white suit and a blue collared shirt with the first few buttons undone, and a blue mask. Raven looked beautiful dressed as, well, a raven, and Dani did as well. Kori wasn't really sure what Kiki was supposed to be. She had on a tight red dress with ¾ sleeves and a pair of bunny ears, but no mask.

"Uh, what are you supposed to be, exactly?"

"I'm a bunny!" Kiki smiled and whined at Dani.

"Did you get hit by a truck or something, because last time I checked, bunnies weren't red?"

Kiki whined and stomped off.

Lastly, Kori's eyes landed on Robin. Out of habit, she sucked in a breath. Even after all these years, after everything that went down between them, she still knew that somewhere, buried really, _really _deep into her heart, she was still capable of loving Robin. Make no mistake; Kori _didn't _love him. But if she let herself, she knew that she could.

He was dressed simply as himself in an all black suit and a skinny black tie. He wore a black mask covering his eyes, and his hair was done just like he always did. Somehow, Robin had made a suit and tie look positively effortless and seamlessly excellent.

Bruce guided Kori by the hand around the room, introducing her to people. The first person she saw was a couple guiding a girl a bit younger than her.

"This is Margaret and Theodore Ford, and their daughter Elizabeth."

The girl clearly didn't want to be here. She was dressed in all black, with combat boots under her dress, and her black hair was spiked around her forehead.

"And this is Delia and Harris Bogg, both on the city council. Not to mention their daughter Mary."

This girl looked a little bit happier to be there. She had blonde hair to her shoulders and blue eyes the same color as Kori's. Her freckles could be seen peeking out from beneath her navy blue mask.

"And this is Bert and Beatrice Allen, and their daughter Phoebe." Phoebe had wild red hair past her shoulders, and forest green eyes that sparkled from behind her green mask. She was short, but not too short, thanks to her heels. She wore a forest green gown.

"And here is Kyle and Janice Daugherty, and their daughter Francine." Francine was tall, taller than Kori in fact. She had brown hair down pulled into a bun on her head, and a button nose. A pair of glasses resting on her face succeeded in preventing her from wearing a mask and making her look very bookish. Smiling, she showed a mouth full of straight teeth, clearly the work of many years with braces.

Kori was guided from people to people in this manner, never staying in one area of the room for too long.

Before she knew it, she was dancing, and she was being passed along from partner to partner, and she winced when Robin's face appeared opposite hers.

"I don't want to talk to you." Kori frowned.

"I don't care. I'm giving you one last chance to tell me what you're hiding. Make no mistake; I will figure it out no matter what you do or don't tell me. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. Because if you tell me now, I will understand and I will keep your secret to myself. But when I find out your secret on my own, I may not be able to guarantee who I will tell if I think it could hurt someone. It's not just about my team anymore. I think you're dangerous. Not to others. No, you wouldn't hurt anyone else; I'm certain of that now. But you could be a danger to yourself. So I'm giving you this chance."

Kori breathed. He was right. That was the feeling of everything being off, the feeling that something was going to end. Madame Zinnia was right. This would be the end of Kori Anders.

"Robin, I—"

A clinking of spoon on glass interrupted all conversation, and across the room, heads turned to see Bruce standing at a table in the front of the ballroom. He stood over a huge cake, and the candles were lit and dripping wax.

"Now, you all know why we are throwing this gala. It is my daughter, Korina Anders's eighteenth birthday, and we are ready for her to blow out the candles. Kori, if you could please step forward?"

Kori looked at Robin briefly, then wove through the crowd to the cake, where she stood and smiled as Bruce presented a boring speech.

Almost as if in slow motion, Kori leaned down and poised herself to blow out the candles. Blowing softly, she lifted her eyes, and just as the flames of the candles were extinguished, she gasped.

There, in the corner of the ballroom, with her back to Kori, but just so looking over her shoulder so that Kori could see the curve of one cheek and the edge of a crystal blue eye.

A girl. With black hair braided into a crown on her head. A blue mask over her eyes. A dress like the feathers of a peacock.

And the face of Kori Anders.


	11. Chapter 11 The End part II

**A/N: Alright, just some quick business to take care of. There has in fact been a winner for my final contest, however, they will not be announced** **until the final chapter.**

**So much happens in this chapter, really really really quickly, so pay attention or you might miss something. **

**Also, please don't kill me, because you're all going to want to come after me with pictures of me on wanted posters and pitchforks and torches and shrieking cries of bloody murder when you get done with this chapter.**

**Please have mercy on my soul.**

**-Ana **

Just as the last of the applause dissipated, Kori tried to calmly walk off of the platform and to the girl, but just as the girl saw Kori walking towards her, she took off towards the door.

Kori knew she should get someone, tell someone that she was leaving. But she had to follow this girl.

Kori wove through the people and out of the ballroom, towards the grand staircase. As Kori turned the corner, she saw the girl at the top of the staircase dash into one of the rooms. Kori followed suit, her breath short.

At the top of the stairs, she wrenched open the closest door to find a large library with a crackling fire in the gigantic fireplace.

Kori ran to the middle of the room and looked desperately around. The girl was gone.

Behind her, she heard the door slam and she knew exactly what she had gotten herself into.

Standing next to the door was Kori Anders. And next to her was Sami Magis. And next to her was someone she'd planned on never seeing again.

She still had the same violet black hair and purple eyes, her olive complexion marred by a small scar above her left eye. That was new.

"This was a gift from some of the other inmates in Tameranean prison. Another thing I have yet to thank you for, sister."

The last time Kori had seen her sister, she was being dragged away by Tameranean guards after a huge blowout between them. Kori had won. Blackfire was supposed to be in prison, yet somehow here she was.

Blackfire strolled over towards Kori and sat down on a couch. Kori knew fighting was useless. Her powers, in their unstable condition, wouldn't stand a chance against Blackfire. In her head, she was screaming and tearing her hair out, but her face was placid.

Blackfire patted the seat across from her and Kori reluctantly sat down.

Then Blackfire gestured grandly to Sami Magis and Kori's twin in the back, and they stepped forward.

"Now, Kori, you know Sami, don't you?" Kori nodded, brows furrowed. "Yes, well, she was instrumental in this whole plot. Gosh, if she hadn't gotten me into this party I don't know what I would've done. Although I hate to admit it, this party was invitation only, and the security was stupendous. You have Bruce Wayne wrapped around your stupid little finger, don't you sister? Just like you had everyone else begging to be your friend, for you to want them in your lives. Just like mom and dad. And I sat here waiting to be noticed, but no one would ever think to look at the aggressive older sister when they had Koriand'r the angel, now would they?"

Sami was frowning, as if she wasn't sure what she was doing here, and in one swift motion, Blackfire sent a purple starbolt in her direction and knocked her completely unconscious. Kori gasped, and Blackfire turned to her, smiling maliciously.

"She was expendable. My real gratitude is truly due to this girl over here. Shift?"

Kori's twin stalked over towards the real Kori and stood in front of her, pulling off her mask.

"Ah, Kori. You've seen me in many of my forms. You saw me as this." Before her eyes, Shift's persona changed from Kori to the hunched over form of Madame Zelda. She gasped. "You've seen me as this." The man who had shot her in the bank. "You've seen me as this." The hooded figure from the alley. "Oh, but my favorite of all was probably this."

Shift changed shape once again. Kori wanted to scream. Or cry. Or vomit. All three.

This couldn't be happening to her.

Shift walked even closer to her. "Gosh, Kori you look so spicy today. Oh my gosh Kori we're doing a shoot at Avarice magazine! Kori that dress looks soooo beautiful on you." Shift, who was Dani, who was Shift scowled and Kori felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Pretending to have so few brain cells made me sick."

Kori tried to process this. She held her head in her hands and tried to calm the pounding in her head, but it was no use. Bruce had been right the entire time and she'd shot him down.

She'd been her friend.

She'd been her best friend.

She'd tried to kill her on more than one occasion.

No no no no no no no no **no. **

"No… you can't…" Kori mumbled this, but Shift, as Dani, walked over and bent down next to her, the Cheshire Cat smile that Kori knew so well painted on her face, and whispered.

"Oh, but I can."

Blackfire took over now. "You see, darling sister, I was very angry when I escaped from prison three days after you so unceremoniously dumped me there. So I began to plot." Blackfire stood and paced in front of Kori. "I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I didn't just want to kill you. I wanted to make you so broken that you would contemplate killing yourself." Blackfire was smiling, but all Kori could do was sit numbly as she watched the girl she thought was her best friend support her greatest enemy. "I was lucky enough to run into Kiki and Shift here, who started the ball rolling."

Dani disappeared and was replaced with a handsome face, a head of raven black hair, and malice in his eyes. "Starfire's useless. We never should've let a troq on our team."

Kori was gone. She was barely there anymore. She was stuck between two moments. In one, she saw Robin's face rewound two and a half years, calling her a troq. In the other, two and a half years forward, he was saying those things again but he or she or it wasn't Robin and what was real? Her head hurt her eyes were watering she was shaking.

She was so close to a panic attack. The drop of a nail might've sent her spiraling into nothing, trying to figure out what was real and what was a lie, a game to push her to her very limits. Blackfire wanted Kori dead, but she wanted her broken first. She wanted her to be so shattered that she would want nothing but to kill herself.

Blackfire had won. Because Kori just wanted it all to be over. Koriand'r, Starfire, Kori Anders, Catgirl. She was drowning behind the walls she had built up because she thought she wasn't wanted, but here she was, being told that she was wanted and had been tricked into making the biggest misunderstanding in her entire life.

"You looked so pathetic. Well, you put a little hitch in the plan by running away, but losing your powers was just icing on the cake. We followed you here while Kiki stayed behind, and Shift got rid of the real Dani Zurich so she could pose as your friend. We waited and waited for the right time to strike, but you only seemed to get happier while here. We had to dredge up bad memories."

Shift glanced at Kori and her face changed once again to the face of Selena Kyle. "Oh Bruce, you haven't seen Richard for so long. Don't you think it's time you reach out?"

Kori was going to throw up. This whole time, her whole life at Wayne Manor was one big plot to break her.

Blackfire continued. "So once the Titans showed up, you really started to break again. That set our plan into action. When you went to that stupid carnival, Shift took her job again."

Shift changed to the old and wrinkled façade of Madame Zelda. "You will be hurt by the one you loved the most."

Blackfire winked. "That's me by the way, not Robin like you thought. He never actually did anything to you other than say a few things that were out of frustration, but the things he'd said wouldn't make you run away. He thinks you ran away because he yelled at you after Kiki knocked you out of the sky and you ruined that whole mission. He knows nothing about what else Shift, here, said."

Kori's head was pounding. "I don't understand. Why not just kill me?"

Blackfire scoffed. "Believe me, we tried. But you are one tough nut to crack, dear sister. So we figured, why not let it be a total coup? Here's the plan. I am going to kill you. Then Shift here is going to return to the party as you, and no one will ever know you're gone. Now, _that _is a total emotional and physical death if I've ever seen one."

Blakfire's hands were lighting up, and she was poised to strike at Kori when thundering footsteps interrupted her.

The door was thrown out of the way by a wall of black energy, and Raven came charging through.

Blackfire frowned. "Oh, well, this won't do." Before Raven could think to react, she was knocked into oblivion by blazing purple fire, as many things happened at once. Kori was wrenched from her seated position and thrown out the window by Blackfire. The glass shattered and Blakfire flew out and caught her, flying far out towards the skyline. Then, Raven watched, her vision blackening, as Dani turned to Kori and waltzed out of the door, chandelier earrings swinging. And then all she could see was blackness.

* * *

Shift, satisfied with her job, strolled down the staircase, where Tim was standing, and grabbed his arm.

"Hey, Tim! Would you like to dance?"

Tim smiled and led her to the dance floor, past John Hopkins who spoke to her briefly in passing.

"Kori, you look lovely dear! And it looks like you won't need that second dress after all! You didn't get a drop of wine on the original. I was happy to make it of course, but I'm glad to see that it won't need to be put to use."

Dani nodded and glided away, trailing Tim, towards the dance floor.

Tim and Kori waltzed for a few moments before Tim noticed what was different.

"Where are your earrings, Kori?"

Dani tilted her head. She was wearing exact replicas of the earrings Kori had been wearing, wasn't she?

"I'm wearing them, silly."

"No, I mean the ones Selena gave you?"

Dani furrowed her brow. She hadn't been counting on this. Blackfire owed her big time.

"Uh, they were too heavy on my ears, so I switched them out for these because they are lighter."

Dani figured that was a safe answer. For all her time with Selena, she'd only ever seen her give Kori outrageous gifts, and Selena was never one for simplicity.

But Tim didn't seem convinced. He pulled away. "I'm going to go get some punch, alright?"

Tim wound his way towards the bowl as Dani shrugged and found a new dance partner.

* * *

Tim was confused. Selena had gotten Kori a pair of diamond studs. Not particularly heavy, either. So why would she say they were too heavy? It didn't make sense.

Tim figured he should retrace his steps, go back to the door he saw Kori leave. He took the stairs two at a time and stood in front of the door he'd seen Kori walk into.

Tim pushed the door open gently, and his feet crunched on broken glass. Walking farther inside, wind tickled his hair.

The gigantic floor to ceiling window in the library had shattered, and glass had blown as far back as the door, wind fiercely howling outside.

Looking down, he nearly tripped over two bodies. He felt his mind go blank as he saw Raven unconscious on the ground, right next to the stirring body of Sami Magis.

Sami Magis?

* * *

Sami woke with a splitting headache. She knew she shouldn't have ever gotten involved with that girl, Blackfire. She'd said she'd wanted to hurt Kori, and Sami knew that hurting Kori would hurt Dani.

But she didn't know hurt meant _hurt. _ She'd never wanted this.

When she woke, she saw the hovering face of Tim Wayne far above her, and she sat up. Tim was only a bit younger than her. She was sixteen, and it had been a miracle that she'd managed to snag Ben, her ex-boyfriend, who was eighteen and rich.

And Dani went and slept with him and Sami wanted to hurt her. She'd thought that Kori and Dani were nice girls, but she was wrong about Dani. Kori, she thought, was better than that. Kori had known about Ben's cheating and hadn't said anything, and that made her just as guilty as Dani. Made her _worse _than Dani. She could've said that Ben was cheating and not specified who, but instead she just kept her mouth shut.

Tim helped her up, and he smiled at her. Tim had nice eyes. Actually, he had a nice face in general. Sami smiled at him, but she couldn't pull her eyes from his as he tried to ask her questions about what had happened here.

To be honest, Sami didn't know. She'd been standing in the room, just taunting Kori, when that girl, Blackfire, shot her with something that knocked her out. But she hadn't been holding a gun. It just seemed like it came from her hands, and she knew that wasn't possible. And it was purple.

That was weird.

She told Tim this, and this seemed to mean something to him, and he rushed over to the goth girl who'd been knocked out as well.

After some coaxing from Tim, she started to stir, and she sat up quickly, spouting things that didn't mean anything to Sami.

Something about stars, and fire, and Dani.

* * *

Tim and Raven raced down the halls, Sami at their heels, and found Bruce talking with Robin by the punch bowl.

Tim reached Bruce first, and he started talking at a wild pace.

"—and she knocked out Raven and Sami, and now she's taking Kori somewhere to kill her and we don't know—"

Bruce's eyes were widening, but it was Robin who interrupted. "Tim! Slow down!"

Tim breathed for a few moments and he turned once again to Bruce. "Blackfire's here. In Gotham. And she's got Kori and she's going to kill her."

Bruce looked perplexed. "But Kori's right there."

Bruce pointed to the form of his adoptive daughter, arguing with Kiki in the far corner of the room. At one time, they both turned to look at the group, and the fake Kori's eyes widened. She'd been found out.

"Wait, what do you mean Blackfire is here for Kori?"

Raven turned to Robin as Beast Boy and Cyborg came to stand next to her. "You know how Star ran away from Titans Tower?"

Robin nodded.

Raven didn't have time to think about how pissed Kori would be if she knew what she was about to do. She didn't have time to soften the blow for Robin, either. She just had to save Starfire and her chances of survival were dropping more by the minute.

"She didn't go back to Tameran when she ran away. She came here."

Raven could see the realization dawn on Robin's face. First it was astonishment, then it was awe, then it was joy, and lastly, anger. Because she had been right by him the entire month, as he spilled his heart out in the car and burst his brain trying to figure out why he couldn't stop thinking about her and she never thought it was a good idea to tell him.

"We have to find her. Let's go."

He had to find her so that if she wasn't already dead, he could kill her himself.

And then he wouldn't ever let her go again.

**A/N: Let it be known that for the contest, I also have a legend of korra story in the works that is about a new avatar found in the triads, and I am pretty partial to that one myself, so...**

**Yeah. The winner will be announced at the epilogue so everyone has time.**

**So the big reveal... I have written this entire story as of now, I am just staggering it so it's not all posted at one time!**

**-Ana**


	12. Chapter 12 The End part III

**A/N: So the contest is still on! Keep on guessing folks.**

**-AnaBananaMontana**

Kori knew where she was. It was dark, and wind was pulling at her hair. Trees rustled around her, and the grass was cold underneath her feet. Her shoes were long gone.

She couldn't see. There were scrapes all over her body from where the glass cut deep. Blackfire had dropped her in the middle of Rose Park and had flown away, leaving Kori unsure.

But within moments, she'd returned, and Kori was still kneeling in the grass, her hands fisted in the grass.

She stood up. The skirt of her dress was torn and shedding feathers, and tendrils of hair were falling from its crown.

"Sister! You don't _look _so good!" Blackfire was stumbling around towards Kori, looking very angry.

"Blackfire! You have to stop!" Kori's voice was raw from yelling over the wind, and rain was beginning to slice into her cuts. Her hair began to be soaked, but she was too busy to thank the lord that she'd put on waterproof mascara.

Blackfire's hands were heating up, purple fire brightening the rain and lighting her sister's face in ghastly violet.

She had only one chance, and that was that she'd worked on her powers enough so that she could have a fighting chance against Blackfire in the driving rain. The rain would weaken Blackfire's powers, but it would weaken hers too. She just had to hope it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Standing up, shaking from head to toe, Kori lit her hands and felt the familiar warmth that accompanied the green energy. Her sister was going to kill her if she didn't do something about it.

"I won't let you ruin my life again, sister!" Blackfire's voice was drowned partially by the rain, but she could hear the words.

Out of the dark, a purple shot just barely grazed Kori's side, and it burned a hole in her dress.

Kori and Blackfire began to fight, not evenly matched, but neither gaining any ground against the other. One moment, Kori would dodge a shot, but soon enough, another was landing at her shoulder or her leg. The same went for her own aim. Blackfire would dodge, but then she would hear a yell or a grunt that proved that she had landed a shot or two.

The rain drove shards of cold into her bones, but Kori knew that if the it lessened Blackfire could see clearly again, there was no way that Kori could stand a chance for longer than a few minutes.

* * *

Everything was changing for Robin.

He'd known there was something he should be seeing about Kori, and he knew that she reminded him strongly of Starfire.

He should've known it was her. She was still as beautiful as she'd always been, and she had been right there the entire time. When she asked about Starfire in the car, when she told him to stay away, when she walked into that party with that twinkle in her eye—she was there the whole time and he should have seen it.

He wouldn't ever let her get hurt again.

The six of them, Bruce, Tim, Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven (Kiki and Shift were being detained at the manor by Selena and Alfred), sped down the road in the Batmobile towards the lights.

Halfway down Park Avenue, they saw clash of purple and green in the middle of deserted Rose Park, and they changed their direction.

At least it meant that Kori was still alive, and she was fighting back. But there was far more purple than green.

* * *

Blackfire was slipping. Kori could feel it.

Blackfire was out of practice from her time in prison, and it was clear that she hadn't worked too long on her powers when she was chasing Kori. That was her mistake. She had assumed that her powers were just like they used to be, and she let her pride control her. Even though she only spent a day in prison, Kori knew what Tameranean prison looked like, and it wasn't pretty. It would weaken the best of them.

Kori knew she was getting closer to beating her sister, but she didn't know if she could kill her. That was Kori's mistake.

They had pushed into the forest and made their way to Dillman Cliff, the cliff looking over Dillman Lake, hundreds of feet above. Blackfire had pushed her into the clearing behind the gate that kept civilians out of range of the drop. Kori was being backed to the cliffside, and she was edging closer and closer to certain death.

* * *

Robin was the first to the clearing. He saw her there, her hair falling out of its crown and her dress disheveled. Her face was streaked with rain, and her hands were lit green, washing her slender figure in green light. Her face was pale and her makeup was running down her face.

She had never been more beautiful than she was then.

* * *

Kori had found an opening. Blackfire had lunged forward, and Kori dodged, so the two switched places, and Blackfire was the one in danger of falling off the cliff. Just as Kori paused to catch her breath, Blackfire sent a gigantic bolt of energy at her that hit her square in the chest, and she collapsed.

"STARFIRE!"

Kori opened her eyes from where she'd fallen to the ground, and saw Robin running towards her. He knelt beside her and pulled her to him, as Kori's chest bloomed with pain.

Blackfire's eyes widened as Bruce, Tim, and the Titans burst from the tree line, poised to fight.

Kori watched, helpless, as her friends and her sister fought, and she wished she could yell at them to please stop, because someone was going to get hurt. She watched almost in slow motion as Blackfire lost her balance, and she fell with grace over the side of the cliff.

No one could fly in this rain. It was like nails. Maybe, if she'd been prepared for it, she might have been able to save herself.

All noise from the driving rain drifted away and Kori couldn't think. All she could see was her big sister's face as a kid, full of innocence and joy. She saw her sister's face, filled with that surprise, as she tumbled over the side of the cliff, and she could almost imagine an apology in her eyes. She just wanted to go back and never let her sister go, never do anything to make Blackfire want to kill her. Never come to Earth at all.

Kori ignored the pain in her stomach and wrenched away from Robin and crawled away from him, dragging herself across the grass to the ledge, and looking over. Her sister was floating in the water, waves throwing her body harshly against the cliff side, and she sunk below the waves.

Either Blackfire simply couldn't fly in the rain, or she didn't want to.

Kori screamed with all her might. Someone had to hear her. Someone had to know that this was all her fault. Someone had to see that Kori was the one who should've died, that she was the one who ruined everything for everyone. Why wasn't it her? Why wasn't she the one with water swirling down her throat and into her lungs? Why was she the one still breathing, even if she was breathing raggedly and barely at all? Somehow she couldn't find any air to breathe, it was all replaced with water falling into her open mouth. She sat on her knees and she looked up at the rain, wishing it could drown her too.

Kori even tried to follow her off the ledge, but hands pulled her back and held her with an iron grip.

Robin recognized the pain Starfire was feeling. Losing your family sucks, even when they try to kill you. No matter how Starfire changed, she would always care too much for others.

"I'm so sorry, Starfire. _I'm so, so sorry._" Robin let her cry because she was still alive and her sister was sinking beneath the waves.

* * *

Two days later, and Starfire still hadn't left her room. This was how Tameraneans mourned, by removing themselves to think only of the one they have lost, out of respect.

Robin came in and sat with her, held her hand. Sometimes it was Raven, or Cyborg, or Beast Boy.

One day, Sami Magis came in.

"Bruce explained everything to me. I'm so sorry, Kori. I'm sorry about Dani and your sister. And I'm sorry I had anything to do with it."

Starfire looked at her and smiled slightly. "Thank you, Sami. Could you please send Bruce in?"

Bruce and Starfire talked for fifteen minutes, and then Starfire began to pack while Bruce sent for Robin.

Robin walked in and sat down as Starfire zipped her last bag. She took her box, and she handed it to him.

"What is this?"

Starfire sat next to him. "It was mine. It has all the pictures of the Titans together. I have the key."

Robin looked at her, confused. "I don't understand."

Starfire sat on her feet next to him and looked him in the eyes. "I know you want me to go back to the Tower with you." He looked excited. "But I can't. As much as I want things to go back to how they were, I am a different person now, and I can't go back there yet."

Robin frowned. "But, even after all this, you still don't want to go back?"

Starfire nodded. "It's especially after all this that I can't go back."

Robin shook his head. He just got her back, and he wasn't going to imagine letting her go again. "I'm not letting you leave, Star. Not this time."

Starfire smiled sadly. "It's not that I don't want to go back, Robin. I just can't. Not after this. I can't imagine trusting anyone so soon after... after Dani. But I promise, you will see me again."

He understood it then. He saw it in her eyes, in the way she sat on her couch, as if she wanted nothing more to fly out the window. This wasn't her home anymore, the way that the Titans Tower wasn't home for her after she thought the Titans betrayed her. The way she had to leave Tameran after her sister sold her. He understood that even if he made her stay with him, made her go back to Titans Tower, she would never be happy. She had to do this herself, or she wouldn't ever find her way again.

"Where will you go?"

Starfire smiled. "I'm going to find my own way home."

Starfire hugged Robin and left her room, closing her door behind her, and she passed Bruce, Sami, Tim, and Selena on her way out.

Sami was nodding as Selena and Bruce spoke.

There was a position that needed to be filled now that Starfire was leaving.

Tim caught her eye as she passed, and Starfire tried to send all her love, all her sorrow into that one glance, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't ever going to be enough. She wished she could give him a real goodbye, but if anyone could convince her to stay, it was Tim. She owed him that and so much more, but she wouldn't ever get away if she was thinking about everything she might've said. Everything she should have said.

She passed the Titans, who were arguing over the last piece of pizza. Only Raven seemed to notice Starfire passing, and she smiled and waved, a sad look in her eyes, but she understood enough.

Starfire was moving on, away from Gotham, from even more bad memories about betrayals by best friends and leaving loved ones.

And when she was ready, she would come back, and she would be ready to be a Titan again.

**A/N: So that's the end of the actual story, but don't worry, there's an epilogue, though it's pretty short. It wraps up the story quite nicely in my opinion, but I'm tossing around the idea of a sequel. We'll see, since I'm not sure what a sequel would be about. Here's an idea: if you want to see a sequel of this story, comment what you think I should do or private message me because I'm interested in continuing with this idea, but I'm not sure how. Maybe it could be about Sami and Tim? The down side of that is that Sami isn't my character, and I wouldn't want to steal her from her owner I'mOnlyHumanDude. So, let me know what you think in a review, or don't. That's cool too. And may I just say that you guys have been the greatest readers there ever were, and that I am so sad to see this story end. I love all of you so much because you guys are truly my first readers, and I have never been more proud to be associated with this fan base because you are all such amazing people. Remember, I'm not totally done. Next week, expect a short but hopefully fulfilling epilogue, in which I tie up all my loose ends in a probably-not-as-neat-as-I'd-like bow. But I hope you enjoy it anyway! P.S. the results of the contest will be revealed in the epilogue, so you still have time to guess!**

**-AnaMontana**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So this is the end. Oh my gosh! My first fanfiction is coming to a close! This is so sad and sort of happy and exciting at the same time... well, the winner of the contest was...**

**a secret. Yes, I did alert him/her that they won the super contest, but if all you were wondering, that's tough. I originally planned on revealing my identity, but then I realized that without knowing it, I'd put a little of myself into all the characters that I fabricated, so it wouldn't be fair to choose one, because then all you would be guessing was my real name and hair color. I can tell you now that you don't need to know that, because that wasn't the reason I made the contest. I do have Elizabeth's temper, I do have lots of freckles like Mary, my favorite color is green like Phoebe's gown, and I happen to have had braces for two years of my life that I wouldn't trade for the world, like Francine. Well, it's more like everybody won, because every guess was right in some way. I realize that you all probably hate me now, but I assure you, I had every intention of picking a winner when I made this contest. I feel bad, but if it's any consolation, you all can comment on which story you would like me to continue most, and I will try to make everybody happy! The actual winner who guessed who had the same name as me has been notified, and their request as to which story I should continue will be taken into account.**

**And now, for the moment I know I've been waiting for, the final segment of A Woman Scorned *tears, tears, blowing of nose***

Two and a half years later…

Richard Grayson walked home every night, to his fancy apartment on the high side of Jump City. As Nightwing, he rarely got any real rest. He patrolled every night with some other standalone heroes, his old teammates sometimes.

The streets were quiet, save for the sound of his footsteps on the pavement, wet from the first rainstorm of the season.

His mind wandered on legs of its own, back to Gotham City and a conversation with a black-haired girl.

He'd kept in touch with Bruce and Selena. They'd finally tied the knot the year before, at the manor. He was a groomsmen. They'd all assumed that she would show up and be a bridesmaid as Selena hoped, but she didn't, and Sami remained the sole bridesmaid.

He'd crossed his fingers of course, but he'd had a feeling she wouldn't come back at least as long as she'd been gone before. But he was allowed to hope.

He walked everywhere these days, not because he didn't have a car. He had a whole garage of them, but he only used them for long distances, and Jump College was near enough to walk. He could get anywhere he needed while in disguise on his bike. Bruce had gifted the money for college and his lavish lifestyle as a wedding gift, but Richard had always thought that was pretty backwards.

He wondered where she was right then. He'd tried not to, figuring it would just be torturing himself. After a while, it had become sort of a game. Think of the most exotic place she could be, hopefully somewhere sunny and warm, somewhere with white sand beaches, or mountains interrupting a giant, cerulean sky.

He climbed the stairs with fierce determination, prepared to collapse into deep sleep after an incredibly long day. He fumbled with his keys, finally grasping onto the gold key he needed, not letting it go until the door swung open with a satisfying gust of air.

His apartment was big, probably too big for a college kid. Bruce was overcompensating for how he hid her presence from him. Bruce didn't say that of course, but it was pretty obvious.

He slipped his shoes off of his feet and slid off his leather jacket. Hoping for a quick snack before bed, he passed into the kitchen through the living room. He passed the table on which the box still sat, unopened and collecting dust for two and a half years. It wasn't that he didn't want to open it—he wanted to open it very badly. Those times when he could barely remember what she looked like before she dyed her hair, he wanted to open it so badly. Unfortunately, every time he tried to open it, he found the lid practically glued down.

As he passed his kitchen counter, he noticed something off. In the center of the linoleum was a gleaming silver key, and he knew without looking what it meant.

He knew without looking that it would open in the box collecting dust in his living room.

Only one person could have that key.

He heard her before he saw her, heard her smile in her voice as she spoke a name he hadn't heard in what might've been centuries.

"Robin."

The End as of Yet

**A/N: Well that's a wrap my good fellows. Aren't I a proud writer! That's the second story I've ever completed ever like ever in my life and I am super happy with all the wonderful people who supported me! I couldn't have done it if I hadn't gotten such amazing support from you, my readers, and from all the people who read my stories and told me I was good. (That's you, Hanna, though I know you won't see this).**

**I have this plan. I wrote, in seventh grade, a new version of the classic Cinderella, and it is part one in a series that I want to write about the well-known princesses we don't actually know. They're all connected. The story of Cinderella was the first story I ever finished ever in my life, so it's something I'm proud of. I want to know who would be interested in reading something like that? Let me know and I will decide if I want to take the time to revise it, type it, and put it up in chapters. If I do it, the chapters would be posted a bit more regularly since I already wrote the entire story.**

**Let me know about what you think I should do with this account! I don't care what my opinion is, I want to know what the people who matter actually think, and that's you, readers.**

**LOL (that's Lots of Love)**

**Ana**


	14. Chapter 14 Author's Note

**A/N**: Alright, a few housekeeping things:

1: I do intend on doing a sequel for A Woman Scorned, and it will most likely take place between two/three POV's: Kori's, Sami Magis's (as long as that's cool with I'mOnlyHumanDude), and _possibly _Robin's. Obviously, there has to be some indication of when, how, and why the Titans split up, and there also needs to be some clarification on what Kori did in the time while she was freelancing. However, it'll probably be a month before I start working on the sequel. I feel like with literature, you have to treat it like a bottle of vintage wine: you have to let it breathe. I feel like if I just jumped right into a sequel, the sequel wouldn't be half as good as the original. We see this with plenty of popular media these days * cough * Iron Man 2 * cough * But Iron Man 3 was flipping amazing because they _let it breathe._

2: I have decided to do the recreations of the fairy-tales. I have the first chapter, which is really a prologue, to the first installment already up, and it's called The Chronicles of Avalea: The One with the Fire. I'm not going to tell you which princess it is, but it will become clear very quickly. For anyone interested, the One with the Fire will be updated every weekend (Eastern Time Zone), instead of willy-nilly, like AWS was. This is because I have a quarter of it written already, and I can write on my own time as long as I don't let the deadlines catch up with me. The Chronicles of Avalea are basically my interpretations of your favorite fairy tales. I am definitely doing: The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Thumbelina, Snow White, and Mulan, but I'm doing them one at a time. Avalea is the made-up world where all these princesses (I know Thumbelina isn't a princess, but she is in this world), and I assure you, they will not be half as cheesy as Sir Disney makes them out to be. These princesses will be independent and will not need their princes to do the saving, because I think we have seen enough chivalry. Believe me, I am all for classic gentleman-ly attitudes and the knight in shining armor complex, but I just don't think that we girls are as fragile as we look. Sure, we can be dainty little flowers when we want to, but the rest of the time, we are badass motherfuckers who don't _always _appreciate being treated like we can't save ourselves.

Sorry if I sound like a super-feminist, but I think it's about time some princesses got some redemption.

So expect some hell-raising out of these women. Especially Mulan. She's my favorite, but I had to change a few things to be true to the other stories.

Sorry for the author's note, but I had to say these things just so everyone knew what was going down. I want to keep you guys in the loop with everything that I'm doing, and I will make an announcement when I begin working on the sequel for AWS on The One with the Fire, so you will know when to expect a first chapter, roughly.

Hugs and Butterfly kisses,

Ana 


	15. AN: 6 SEQUEL SECRETS

Hello Folks, it's your favorite author Anastasia! I have some news to announce.

You asked for it, and I listened! Next Saturday, August 17th, the first chapter of the sequel to A Woman Scorned will be published! I will not tell you what the name is yet, but I will give some of my secrets away to the readers who have stuck with this from start to finish to yet another beginning! So here, for my amazing beautiful lovely followers, are Six Secrets (6 is my lucky number) about the upcoming AWS sequel!

1. It will be told in a dual perspective, and yes, one of them will be Kori's.

2. The goings on of Wayne Manor in Kori's absence will be explained in this story.

3. You will hear a little more about what exactly happened to Kiki and Shift before Kori left, but the story will mainly center around what she did while she was gone and what happened at the Manor after she left.

4. There will be many new characters introduced, though I promise, scout's honor, that none will be lasting love interests for Kori.

5. You will meet one of the Teen Titans again, BEFORE Kori left, as well as other familiar faces from the show that you will definitely recognize and will be a major part of the story.

6. New villain!

I can not wait for you all to see what I have been working on! I would like to give a special thanks to magicchalkdust, whose private message a few weeks ago actually really got the gears turning in my head and encouraged me to get back to writing again! You all should be thanking her, because she was a help in kicking me into action and really getting down to business. I hope you all like what I've been working on when you see it next Saturday!

I love you all so much for sticking with me!

-Anastasia


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